EARTH 

SCIENCE,, 

LIBRARY 


GIFT  OF 
C,   L.    Camp 


•Mm 

SCIENCB 

LIBRARY 


INTRODUCTORY   DISCOURSE., 


DELIVERED   BEFORE 


THE  LITERARY 


AND 


'HILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY 

OF  NEW- YORK, 


ON   THE 


FOURTH  OF  MAY,  1814, 


DE  WITT  CLINTON,  LL.  D. 


PRESIDENT  OF   THE   LITERARY   A.SD    PHILOSOPHICAL   SOCIETY   OF   NKW-TOEK, 


NEW-YORK 


PUBLISHED  BY  DAVID  LONGWQRTH, 

At  the  Shakspeare-Gallcry. 
IS'.  Van  Riper,  Print- 

1815. 


fc     V 


.A5 

INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSED. 


In  compliance  with  the  solemnity  expected  on  this  occasion,  I  rise  to 
address  this  respectable  audience.  For  the  first  time  has  an  association 
been  established  and  incorporated  in  this  state,  devoted  to  literature  and 
philosophy.  Although  I  hare  always  ardently  cherished  the  love  of  let- 
ters, yet  I  am  fully  sensible  that  neither  my  attainments  nor  my  talents 
-ntitle  me  to  this  place.  On  my  zeal  and  my  industry,  however,  the 
tallest  reliance  may  be  placed  ;  for  although  not  a  minister  officiating  at 
the  holy  altar  of  science,  yet  you  shall  always  find  me  a  sincere  and 
humble  worshipper  at  the  vestibule  of  the  temple.  It  is  with  societies 
as  it  is  with  individuals  ;  if  the  first  impression  be  favourable,  it  gives  a 
tone  to  character  which  is  attended  with  the  most  auspicious  effects  in 
every  future  stage  of  existence  :  as  somewhat  of  the  colour  of  our  social 
character  may  depend  on  this  first  appearance  on  the  theatre  of  public 
observation,  you  may  judge  of  my  embarrassment  on  this  occasion. 

The  solemn  considerations  which  grow  out  of  an  establishment  of  this 
nature  must  press  upon  our  sensibility,  with  redoubled  force,  when  we 
reflect  upon  the  accusations  which  are  brought  against  our  country  by 
the  literati  of  Europe.  The  celebrated  Buffon  has  declared  that,  in 
America,  animated  nature  is  weaker,  less  active,  and  more  circumscribed 
in  the  variety  of  its  productions,  than  in  the  old  world  ;  that  there  is  some 
combination  of  elements  and  other  physical  causes  ;  something  that  op- 
poses its  amplification  ;  that  there  are  obstacles  to  the  developemeut, 
and  perhaps  to  the  formation  of  large  germs  ;  and  that  even  those  which, 
from  the  kindly  influences  of  another  climate,  have  acquired  their  com- 
plete form  and  expansion  shrink  and  diminish  under  a  nijisanlly  air  and  , 
in  an  unprolific  land  !  Dr.  Robertson  has  also  said,  that  •*  the  principle 
of  life  seems  to  have  been  less  active  and  vigorous  here  than  in  the  an- 
cient continent ;"  and  that  "  nature  was  not  only  less  prolific  in  the  new 
world,  but  she  appears  likewise  to  have  been  less  v:gorous  in  her  produc- 
tions." Need  we  add  to  this  the  obloquy  which  has  been  cast  upon  our 
country  by  the  herd  of  tourists  and  travellers  who  have  attempted  to  de- 
scribe it.  With  some  of  them,  our  soil  is  destitute  of  prolific  power,  our 
atmosphere  teems  with  disease  and  death,  our  lives  are  comparatively 
stiert,  our  institutions  are  totteriog  under  debility  and  decay,  onr  nations? 


M  3713 


4  CLINTON'S 

character  is  marked  with  all  the  traits  of  premature  corruption  and  pre- 
cocious turpitude,  our  manners  are  barren  of  refinement,  and  our  mintta 
are  destitute  of  learning  and  incapable  of  great  intellectual  exertion. 
When  wev  adventure  into  the  fields  of  science  the  master  spirits,  who  pre- 
side over  transatlantic  literature,  view  us  with  a  sneer  of  supercilious  con- 
tempt or  with  a  smile  of  complaisant  superiority  ;  and  consider  our  pro- 
ipjji  is  pases  in  the  regions  of  Africa  ;  deriving  their  merit  less  from 
beauty  and  excellence,  than  from  their  contrast  with  the  sur- 
',  'gouhdirig  /deserts.  And  it  has  even  been  gravely  proposed,  as  a  subject 
foY  Inquiry,  whether  the  discovery  of  America  has  been  advantageous  or 
prejudicial  to  mankind  !(1) 

While  we  look  down  upon  these  aspersions  it  is  due  to  candour,  and  a 
just  estimate  of  our  own  character,  to  acknowledge  that  generally  speak- 
mg,  we  are  far  behind  our  european  brethren  in  the  pursuits  of  litera- 
ture. The  enterprising  spirit  which  distinguishes  our  national  character* 
has  exhibited  itself  in  every  shape  except  that  of  a  marked  devotion  to 
the  interests  of  science.  There  is  nothing  in  the  fixed  operation  of  phy- 
sical or  moral  causes,  nothing  in  our  origin,  in  our  migration  or  in  our 
settlement ;  nothing  in  our  climate,  our  soil,  our  government,  our  reli- 
gion, our  manners,  or  our  morals,  which  can  attach  debility  to  our  minds 
or  can  prevent  the  cultivation  of  literature.  Two  hundred  years  have 
nearly  elapsed  since  the  first  european  settlement  was  made  in  this  state; 
and  if,  in  the  course  of  two  centuries,  labouring  under  difficulties  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  we  have  not  attained  the  first  elevation  in  the  ranks  of  know- 
ledge, surely  sufficient  reasons  may  be  assigned  without  impeaching  tbft 
character  of  our  minds  or  degrading  us  in  the  scale  of  being.  Although 
iu  a  review  of  these  causes,  which  I  shall  now  attempt  with  all  possible 
brevity,  my  remarks  relate  particularly  to  this  state,  they  will  apply, 
generally  speaking,  to  the  United  States  at  large. 

Ancient  migrations  were  generally  the  offspring  of  want.  Sometimes 
a  whole  people  departed  from  their  natal  soil,  and  sought  for  better  des- 
tinies in  a  milder  climate  and  a  more  prolific  land.  Sometimes,  whea 
population  became  surcharged,  and  subsistence  difficult,  a  portion  of  a 
nation  would  change  its  habitation  :  at  other  limes,  colonies  were  plaiit- 
fil  for  the  purpose  of  retaining  conquered  countries  and  checking  the 
predatory  incursions  of  barbarian  hordes.  A  different  principle  seetns 
to  have  led  to  the  first  colonization  of  America.  The  discovery  of  this 
western  world  appears  to  have  infused  a  new  spirit  into  Europe  .-  the 
imaginations  of  men  were  dazzled  with  fabulous  stories  of  dorados,  or 
mountains  of  gold,  and  of  fountains  by  which  the  human  race  flourished 
in  immortal  youth.  In  this  land  the  god  of  wealth  was  supposed  to  have 
erected  his  temples,  and  his  votaries  flocked  from  all  quarters  to  propi- 
tiate iiis  blessings.  When  experience  had  sobered  the  distempered  fan- 
cies o{  ther:e  adventurers,  and  had  convinced  them  of  their  delusion,  they 
•Hill  discovered  that,  although  the  precious  metals  were  not  within  then 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  i 

grasp,  yet  that  their  cupidity  could  be  amply  gratified  by  the  abundant 
products  of  the  soil.     The  settlement  of  this  country  was  thus  made  with 
a  view  to  the  acquisition  of  wealth  ;  knowledge  was  out  of  the  question. 
The  attachments  of  tbe  emigrants,   like  their  origin,  were  exotic ;  the 
land  of  their  adoption  was  considered  as  secondary  and  inferior,  in  every 
respect,  to  the  land  of  their  nativity  ;  and  their  anxious  eyes  were  con- 
stantly directed  to  the  period  when  they  could    return  to  their  native  soil 
laden  with  the  bounties  of  the  new  world.     This  country  was  also  planted 
at  a  time  when  the  intellectual  world  was  involved  in  Cimmerian  dark- 
oess.     The  scholastic  philosophy  was  the  reigning  knowledge  of  the 
times; — a  philosophy  ef  words  and  notions,  conversant  only  in  logical 
distinctions,  abstractions,  and  subtleties ;  which  left  real  science  wholly 
uncultivated  to  hunt  after  occult  qualities,  abstract  notions,  and  objects 
of  impertinent  curiosity.     This  system,  which  was  founded  by  the  com- 
mentators on  Aristotle,  who  were  called  profound,  irrefragable,  and  an- 
gelic doctors,  corrupted  every  department  of  knowledge  and  maintained 
supremacy  for  several  centuries.    The  stagyrite  was  even  considered 
as  entitled  to  the  honours  of  an  evangelist ;  and  Melanethon  complains 
that  his  ethics  were  read  to  the  people,  instead  of  the  gospel,  in  sacred 
assemblies.     In  this  great  serbonian  bog  the  human  mind  lay  ingulfed, 
entranced,  and  bewildered  for  ages;  and  the  glimmering  rays  of  light 
which  the  peripatetic  philosophy  shed  over  the  world,  were  confined  to 
the  cloister  and  the  college.     At  this  period  this  country  was  first  settled 
by  the  countrymen  indeed  of  Erasmus  and  of  Grotius  ;  but  the  works  of 
Erasmus  were  locked  up  in  latin  ; — Grotius  was  scarcely  known,  and  few 
of  our  ancestors  were  acquainted  with  the   first  elements  of  knowledge. 
They  settled  here  under  the  auspices  of  a  dutch  west-india  company, 
and  when  the  province  was  surrendered  to  the  english,  in  1674,  no  advan- 
tages resulted  to  the  cause  of  knowledge.    Charles  II.  was  a  witty  sen- 
sualist— James  II.   was  a  contracted  bigot — William  of  Orange  was  a 
mere  soldier.     The  constellation  of  intellectual  luminaries  which  shone 
in  the  augustan  age  of  England  diffused  but  little  light  across  the  Atlan- 
tic :  the  two  first  of  the  Brunswick  kings  had  neither  knowledge  them- 
selves, nor  did  they  value  it  in  others ;  and  with  the  third  dynasty  we 
measured  swords,  and  a  severance  of  the  empire  ensued. 

There  is  something  in  the  nature  of  provincial  government  which 
tends  to  engender  faction,  and  to  prevent  the  expansion  of  intellect.  It 
inevitably  creates  two  distinct  interests  ;  one  regarding  the  colony  as 
subservient  in  every  respect  to  the  mother  country,  and  the  other  rising 
up  in  opposition  to  this  assumption.  The  governor  and  principal  ma- 
gistrates, who  derive  their  appointments  from  an  extrinsic  source, 
teel  independent  of  the  people  over  whom  they  are  placed.  The  ope- 
ration of  this  principle  has  been  powerfully  experienced  in  our  territo- 
rial governments,  which  have  been  the  constant  theatre  of  intestine  di- 
visions :  and  when  the  human  luted  is  called  away  from  th<»  interest  of 


6  CLINTON'S 

science  to  aid,  by  its  faculties,  the  agitations  of  party,  little  can  be  ex- 
pected from  energies  thus  perverted  and  abused.  The  annals  of  our  co- 
lonial state  present  a  continual  controversy  between  the  mincers  ol* 
the  crown,  and  the  representatives  of  the  people.  What  did  the  gov- 
ernor and  judges  care  for  a  country  where  they  were  strangers  ?  where 
their  continuance  was  transient ;  and  to  which  they  were  attached  by 
no  tie  that  reaches  the  human  heart.  Their  offices  emanated  from  ano- 
ther country ;— to  that  source  they  looked  for  patronage  and  support,  to 
that  alone  their  views  extended  ;  and  having  got,  what  Archimedes 
wanted,  another  world  on  which  to  erect  their  engines  they  governed 
this  at  pleasure. 

The  colonial  governors  were,  generally  speaking,  little  entitled  to  re- 
spect. They  were  delegated  to  this  country  not  as  men  qualified  to  go- 
vern, but  as  men  whose  wants  drove  them  into  exile  ;  not  as  men  enti- 
tled by  merit  to  their  high  eminence,  but  as  men  who  owed  it  to  the 
solicitations  of  powerful  friends  and  to  the  influence  of  court  in- 
trigue. Thus  circumstanced  and  thus  characterized,  is  it  wonderful  to 
find  them  sometimes  patroling  the  city  disguised  in  female  dress  ;  at 
other  times  assailing  the  representatives  of  the  people  with  the  most  vi- 
rulent abuse,  and  defrauding  the  province  by  the  most  despicable  acts 
of  peculation ;  and  at  all  times  despising  knowledge  and  overlooking  the 
public  prosperity  ?  Justice,  however,  requires  that  we  should  except 
from  this  censure  Hunter  and  Burnet.  Hunter  was  a  man  of  wit,  a  cor- 
respondent of  Swift,  and  a  friend  of  Addison.(2)  Burnet,  the  son  of  the 
celebrated  bishop  ol  Salisbury,  was  devoted  to  literature  ;  they  were  the 
best  governors  that  ever  presided  over  the  colony. 

The  love  of  fame  is  the  most  active  principle  of  our  nature.  To  be 
honoured  when  living, — to  be  venerated  when  dead, — is  the  parent 
source  of  those  writings  which  have  illuminated,—- of  those  actions 
which  have  benefited  and  dazzled  mankind.  All  that  poetry  has  crea- 
ted, that  philosophy  has  discovered,  that  heroism  has  performed,  may 
be  principally  ascribed  to  this  exalted  passion.  True  it  is, 


"  When  fame's  loud  trump  hath  blown  its  noblest  blast, 
Though  long  the  sound,  the  echo  sleeps  at  last ; 
And  glory,  like  the  phoenix  'midst  her  fires, 
Exhales  her  odours,  blazes,  and  expires." 

LORD  BYRON. 


Yet,  as  long  as  man  is  susceptible  of  sublime  emotions,  so  long  will 
he  commit  himself  to  this  master  feeling  of  a  noble  nature.  What 
would  have  become  of  the  sublime  work  of  Milton,  if  he  had  written  for 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  7 

the  fifteen  pounds  which  he  received  from  the  bookseller ;  and  where 
would  have  been  the  writings  of  Bacon,  if  he  had  not  aspired  to  immor- 
tal fame?  "My  name  and  memory,"  said  this  prince  of  philosophers, 
jn  his  will,  "  I  leave  to  foreign  nations,  and  to  my  own  countrymen  after 
some  time  be  passed  over  "  When  with  one  hand  he  demolished  the 
philosophy  of  the  schools,  and  with  the  other  erected  a  magnificent 
temple  dedicated  to  trnth  and  genuine  knowledge,  he  was  animated  in  bis 
progress,  and  cheered  in  his  exertions  by  the  persuasion  that  after  ages 
would  erect  an  imperishable  monument  to  his  fame. 

But  in  order  that  this  passion  may  have  its  full  scope  and  complete 
operation  it  is  not  only  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  proper  subject, 
but  a  suitable  place  and  an  enlightened  public.  The  actor,  in  order  t» 
act  well  his  part,  must  have  a  good  theatre  and  a  respectable  audience. 
Would  Demosthenes  and  Cicero  have  astonished  mankind  by  their  ora- 
tory, if  they  had  spoken  in  Sparta  or  in  Carthage  ?  would  Addison  have 
written  his  Spectators  in  Kamtschatka,  or  Locke  his  work  on  the  Under- 
standing at  Madrid  ?  destroy  the  inducement  to  act,  take  away  the  capa- 
city to  judge,  and  annihilate  the  value  of  applause,  and  poetry  sinks  into 
dulness  ;  philosophy  loses  its  powers  of  research ;  and  eloquence  evapo- 
rates into  froth  and  mummery. 

A  provincial  government,  like  ours  before  the  revolution,  was  entirely 
incompetent  to  call  into  activity  this  ennobling  propensity  of  our  nature. 
A  small  population,  scattered  over  an  extensive  country,  and  composed 
almost  entirely  of  strangers  to  literature ;  a  government  derivative  and 
dependent,  without  patronage  and  influence,  and  in  hostility  to  the  pub- 
lic sentiment ;  a  people  divided  into  political  and  religious  parties,  and  a 
parent  country  watching  all  their  movements  with  a  stepmother's  feel, 
ings,  and  keeping  down  their  prosperity  with  the  arm  of  power,  could 
not  be  expected  to  produce  those  literary  worthies  who  have  illuminated 
the  other  hemisphere. 

History  justifies  the  remark  that  free  governments,  although  happier 
in  themselves,  are  as  oppressive  to  their  provinces  as  despotic  ones,  ft 
was  a  common  saying  in  Greece  that  a  free  man  in  Sparta  was  the  freest 
man  ;  and  a  slave,  the  greatest  slave  in  the  world.  This  remark  may  be 
justly  applied  to  the  ancient  republics  which  had  provinces  under  their 
controul.  The  people  of  the  parent  country  were  free,  and  those  remote 
were  harrassed  with  all  kinds  of  exactions,  borne  down  by  the  high  hand  ot 
oppression,  and  under  the  subjection  of  a  military  despotism.  The  co- 
lonial system  of  modern  times  is  equally  calculated  to  build  up  the  mo- 
ther country  on  the  depression  of  its  colonies.  That  all  their  exports 
skall  go  to  and  all  their  imports  be  derived  from  it,  is  the  fundamental 
principle.  Admitting  occasional  departures  from  this  system,  is  it  possi- 
ble that  an  infant  country,  so  bandaged  and  cramped,  could  attain  to  that 


8  CLINTON'S 

maturity  of  growth  which  is  essential  to  the  promotion  and  encourage- 
ment of  literature  ?  Accordingly  we  do  not  find  in  any  colony  of  modern 
times  any  peculiar  devotion  to  letters,  or  any  extraordinary  progress  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  human  mind.  The  most  fertile  soil, — the  most 
benign  climate, — all  that  nature  can  produce  and  art  can  perfect,  are  in- 
competent to  remove  the  benumbing  effects  which  a  provincial  and  de- 
pendent position  operates  upon  the  efforts  of  genius. 

These  difficulties,  so  embarrassing,  were  augmented  from  other  causes. 
The  population  of  this  colouy  was  derived  from  several  nations.  The 
original  emigrants  were  dutch.  The  next  in  order  of  time  were  from  En- 
gland. The  revocation  of  the  edict  ofNantz,  and  the  persecutions  in  the 
Palatinate,  occasioned  considerable  migrations  from  France  and  Ger- 
many ;  Scotland  and  Ireland  also  furnished  a  great  accession  of  inhabi- 
tants. Four  different  languages  were  for  a  long  time  used ;  and  the  people 
were  separated  from  each  other  by  a  diversity  of  manners  and  opinions, 
and  strong  national  prejudices.  How,  then,  was  it  possible  to  combine 
their  energies  iu  any  common  effort  ?  Two  centuries  have  not  entirely 
extinguished  the  lines  of  national  separation.  The  dutch  and  german 
languages  are  still  spoken  in  some  settlements.  Five  or  six  generations 
have,  in  a  great  measure,  amalgamated  these  discordant  elements.  Na- 
tional antipathies  have  subsided,  a  national  character  has  been  formed, 
and  a  national  physiognomy  is  supposed  to  be  established.  The  triumph 
and  general  adoption  of  the  english  language  have  been  the  principal 
means  of  melting  us  down  into  one  people,  and  of  extinguishing  those 
stubborn  prejudices  and  violent  animosities  which  formed  a  wall  of 
partition  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  land.  In  a  country  whose 
population  was  thus  composed,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  a  great 
taste  tor  literature  would  be  considered  an  essential  accompaniment. 

The  government  of  Great  Britain  discountenanced  emigrations. 
Transportation  to  the  colonies  was  declared  to  be  the  punishment  for 
many  felonies.  "  It  is  a  shameful  and  unblessed  thing,"  said  Bacon, 
*'to  take  the  scum  of  people  ;  and  wicked,  condemned,  men  to  be  the 
people  with  whom  you  plant ;  and  not  only  so,  but  it  spoileth  the  plan- 
tation." This  measure  was,  no  doubt,  the  result  of  design,  the  dictate  of 
policy.  It  inculcated  upon  the  public  mind  that  the  colonies  were  a 
pUce  of  punishment,  not  a  country  enjoying  the  blessings  of  life  ;  and  it 
prevented  that  copious  flow  of  migration  which  the  necessities  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  hope  of  enjoying  better  fortunes  in  another  land,  would 
.Lave  unquestionably  effected.  Although  the  relegation  of  convicts  to 
this  country  could  not  seriously  affect  the  morals  of  the  American  people, 
or  materially  disturb  their  internal  tranquillity,  yet  it  certainly  injured 
our  character  in  the  general  estimation  of  Europe.  The  british  govern- 
ment has  established  one  great  settlement  for  convicts ;  there  can  be 
little  doubt  but  that  the  same  Beotimeut  existed  at  one  period,  in  the 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  9 

did  world,  with  respect  to  this  country,  as  now  prevails  here  in  relation 
to  Botany  Bay  :  and  what  respectable  man  coukl  be  induced  to  remove 
to  that  place?  what  encouragement  would  it  afford  to  the  cultivation 
of  literature?  the  pierian  spring  and  the  parnassian  mount  are  not 
to  be  expected  in  the  den  of  Cacus.  The  idea  of  a  country  appro- 
priated as  the  residence  of  men  whose  lives  have  been  polluted  with 
crimes,  is  associated  with  all  that  is  shocking  and  appalling ;  and  we  con- 
sider it  in  the  same  light  as  the  poet  represents  the  entrance  into  the  ie- 
fernal  regions : 


'*  Luctu?,  ct  altrices  posuere  cubilia  cura ; 
Pallentesque  habitant  morbi,   tri«tisqiie  senectus. 
Et  ir.etus,  et  malesuada  fames,  et  turpis  egcstas  ; 
Terribiles  visu  formal !     Lethumque,  laborque  ; 
Turn  consanguineus  Lethi  sopor,  et  mala  mentis 
Gaudia  ;  mortiferunique  adverse  in  liaiine  bellum, 
Ferreique  Eumenidiim  thalami,  et  discordia  demons, 
Vipereurn  orinem  vittis  innexn  rrueutis." 

\  VI 


The  combined  and  pernicious  effects  of  this  complication  of  causes 
were  to  be  traced  in  the  general  want  of  education — in  the  debased  con- 
dition of  the  learned  profession, — iii  the  neglect  of  seminaries  of  learn- 
ing— and  in  an  universal  apathy  with  regard  to  the  interests  ot  science. 

The  influence  of  printing,  upon  knowledge,  is  well  understood.  Du- 
ring the  dutch  government  no  press  was  established.  Governor  Dongaii 
was  instructed,  in  1685,  to  allow  no  printing  press  in  the  province.  The 
first  established  was  1693,  and  the  first  newspaper  published  was  on  the 
iGth  of  October,  172.7. 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  following  remarks  of  sir  William 
Temple  in  other  respects  their  justice,  in  relation  to  the  medical  pro- 
fession, must  be  universally  acknowledged.  "  It  is  certain,  however," 
says  that  distinguished  writer,  "that  the  study  of  physic  is  not 
achieved  in  any  eminent  degree  without  very  great  advancements  in  the 
sciences ;  so  that  whatever  the  profession  is,  the  professors  have  been 
generally  very  much  esteemed  on  that  account  as  well  as  of  their  own  art ; 
as  the  most  learned  men  of  their  ages  and  thereby  shared,  with  the 
two  other  great  professions,  in  those  advantages  most  commonly  valued 
and  mo«t  eagerly  pursued  ;  whereof  the  divines  seem  to  have  had  the 
most  honour — the  lawyer?  the  most  money — ansJ  the  physicians  the  most 


M>  CLINTON'S 

Hippocrates  was  profoundly  skilled  iu  natural  knowledge  before  iH' 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  ;  and  it  has  become  a  common  saying 
that,  where  the  natural  philosopher  ends  the  physician  begins.  The 
laws  which  regulate  other  material  substances,  apply  to  ilw  human  body. 
Chemistry  is  all  essential  to  a  physician.  *»  I  do  not  hesitate  to  pronounce," 
said  Foureroy,  "  that  modern  chyraistry  has  done  more,  in  twenty  years, 
for  medicine,  than  all  the  united  labours  of  preceding  ages."  The  ma- 
teria  medica  is  supplied  from  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature.  Without  a 
knowledge  of  botany,  mineralogy,  and  zoology,  a  physician  cannot  under- 
stand the  medicines  he  prescribes ;  and  as  the  nomenclature  of  his  pro- 
fession is  derived  from  the  learned  languages,  and  principally  from  the 
greek,  he  ought  to  be  a  classical  scholar  :  in  a  word,  he  should  have  a 
general  acquaintance  with  all  the  departments  of  human  knowledge,  in, 
order  to  compose  that  learned  man  which  is  expected  from  an  able  and 
accomplished  physician. 

With  this  elevated  idea  of  the  medical  character,  how  must  we  be 
mortified  to  find  the  low  state  of  the  profession  during  the  greater  period 
of  the  colonial  government.  It  was  totally  unregulated  ;  and  the  apothe- 
cary, physician,  and  surgeon,  were  united  in  the  same  individual* 
"  Quacks,"  said  the  colonial  historian,  "  abound  like  locusts  in  Egypt." 
A  periodical  writer,  who  published  in  1752,  estimated  the  number  ol 
families  in  this  city  to  be  two  thousand,  and  the  number  of  physicians  to 
be  forty;  which  would  make  one  physician  for  every  fifty  families;  and 
tie  further  stated  that  he  could  show,  by  "  probable  arguments,  that  more 
lives  are  destroyed  in  this  city  by  pretended  physicians,  than  by  all  other 
causes  whatever."*  Nor  was  the  profession  of  the  law  on  a  more  respect- 
able footing.  As  there  was  no  distinction  of  degrees,  the  attorney  and' 
the  counsellor  were  blended  together;  and  the  profession  was  disgraced 
by  the  admission  of  men  not  only  of  the  meanest  abilities,  but  of  the- 
lowest  employments. 

While  the  theological  profession  exhibited  a  more  respectable  appear- 
ance from  the  transatlantic  education  of  many  of  our  divines,  the  state  of 
our  seminaries  of  learning  displayed  a  most  humiliating  spectacle.  "  Our 
schools,"  says  the  colonial  historian,  "  are  in  the  Jowes\  order.  The 
instructors  want  instruction  ;  and  through  a  long,  shameful,  neglect  of  air 
the  arts  and  sciences,  our  common  speech  is  extremely  corrupt ;  and  the 
evidences  of  a  bad  taste,  both  in  thought  and  language,  are  visible  in  all 
our  proceedings,  public  and  private."  And,  at  that  time,  there  were  in- 
^ances  of  some  magistrates  who  were  totally  ignorant  of  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  instruction. 

Amidst  the  intellectual  darkness  which  covered  the  land,  some  corrus 
rations  of  light  were  to  be  seen  darting  through  the  gloom.     A 

t.  Rr-flertor, 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE. 

:n>kl  and  uu  enterprising  spirit  had,  ia  some  degree,  surinouutcd  the  disad 
vantages  of  a  colonial  state ;  and  the  general  ease  and  plenty  which  pre- 
vailed through  the  province,  called  off'  the  attention  of  many  from  the 
pursuits  of  laborious  occupations  to  the  .cultivation  of  the  mind.  The 
value  of  education  was  estimated  as  the  privation  of  it  was  experienced ; 
and  many  young  men  were  sent  to  the  colleges  of  the  eastern  colonies, 
and  to  the  universities  of  Great  Britain,  for  the  benefits  of  education. 
Some  of  our  lawyers  were  brought  up  in  the  Inns  of  court,  and  some  of 
our  physicians  were  instructed  in  the  celebrated  schools  of  London  and 
Edinburgh. 

This  nisus  of  the  human  mind,  to  emancipate  itself  from  the  slavery 
of  ignorance,  appeared  in  a  variety  of  other  shapes.  In  1754  a  public 
library  was  founded  in  this  city.  On  the  31st  of  October,  in  the  same 
year,  King's  (now  Columbia)  College  received  its  charter ;  and  the  first 
commencement  was  held  in  1758.  A  faculty  of  medicine  was  annexed 
to  that  institution  in  1769,  and  'Glossy,  Bard,  Jones,  and  Middleton,  men 
of  great  eminence,  were  appointed  to  direct  its  destinies.  A  general 
taste  for  science  and  literature  began  to  exhibit  itself.  At  the  head  of 
those  distinguished  men,  who  devoted  themselves  to  the  interests  of 
knowledge,  may  be  justly  placed  Cadwallader  Colden  a  man  of  great  men- 
tal acumen  and  of  extensive  acquirements  :  he  was,  for  along  time  lieu- 
lenaut  governor  of  the  province  ;  and  he  spent  a  great  portion  of  a  lon^ 
life  in  the  cultivation  of  letters  and  in  a  literary  correspondence  with 
Linnaeus,  Franklin,  and  the  other  illustrious  sa  vans  of  the  age.  He  illus- 
trated the  botany  of  this  country,  composed  many  interesting  works, 
%vas  intimately  acquainted  with  the  newtonian  philosophy,  aad  was 
learned  in  his  profession  as  a  physician.  A  history  of  the  colony  was 
written  by  William  Smith,  whom  dr.  Robertson  has  denominated  the  in- 
genious historian  of  New- York.  Attempts  wore  made  to  emulate  the 
periodical  writings  which  adorned  tlie  literature  of  Great  Britain.  In 
1752  several  weekly  essays  were  published  under  the  title  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Reflector.  Although  at  this  day  there  appears  nothing  excep- 
tionable in  them,  yet  they  did  not  suit  the  temper  of  the  times  ;  they 
excited  the  resentment  of  some  of  the  leading  men  ;  and  a  clergyman 
denounced  the  writer  from  the  pulpit,  and  compared  him  to  Gog  and 
Magog.  The  printer  was  filially  menaced  into  a  discontinuance  of  the 
publication,  and  it  expired  with  the  52d  number.  In  1755  a  series  of 
well- written  essays,  under  the  title  of  the  Watch- Tower,  was  published 
in  the  New- York  Mercury  printed  by  Hugh  Game. 

The  public  attention  was,  however,  principally  engrossed  hi  religious 
controversies.  In  the  time  of  governor  Fletcher  the  episcopalians  were 
favoured  with  a  partial  establishment  in  this  and  three  of  the  neighbour- 
ing counties.  This  exceptionable  measure  excited  much  uneasiness  ; 
and  a  proposition  to  establish  bishops  in  America,  although  reasonable 
was  resisted  with  great  zeal ;  acd  produced  a  long  aad  vioJe&t 


ii>  CLLXTON'S 

polemic  war,  which  was  conducted  with  great  talents.  Our  dutch  an- 
cestors were  agitated  about  a  question  relative  to  their  own  church : 
whether  their  clergy  might  be  ordained  in  this  country  without  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  elassis  of  Arnstcidara  :  and  the  trench  and  presbyterian  chur- 
ches were  also  torn  asunder  by  internal  leuds. 

Some  of  tlifse  jealousies  and  controversies  affected  literary  objects 
•*nd  procrastinated,  for  a  considerable  time,  the  establishment  of  a  col- 
lege. Pamphlets  were  written  not  only  as  to  the  government,  but  the 
scite  of  the  institution  ; — whether  it  should  be  under  the  control  of  a  par- 
ticular sect, — whether  it  should  be  in  the  city  or  county  were  questions 
debated  with  great  earnestness.  Although  these  agitations  had  a  bene- 
ficial effect  in  exciting  the  mind  to  action,  yet  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
such  talents  and  powers  were  expended  in  a  way  so  little  calculated  to 
subserve  the  solid  interests  of  science.  From  this  barren  soil  no  sub- 
stantial harvest  of  improvement  could  be  reaped ;  and  if  the  same  quan- 
tity of  intellect,  which  has  been  appropriated  to  unproductive  and  inter- 
minable controversies,  had  been  applied  to  the  promotion,  of  genuine 
science,  the  boundaries  of  knowledge  would  have  been  greatly  enlarged 
and  the  honour  and  happiness  of  the  human  race  would  have  been  essen- 
tially promoted. 

Mental,  in  many  cases,  acts  directly  the  reverse  of  corporeal  vision  ; 
and  magnifies  objects,  not  in  proportion  to  their  propinquity  but  in  the 
ratio  of  their  distance.  This  obliquity  of  the  human  mind  springs  from  a 
variety  of  causes,  and  operates  in  a  variety  of  directions.  It  idcessantly 
magnifies  the  talents  and  morals  of  the  past,  at  the  expense  of  the  pre- 
sent times ;  and  its  wanderings  never  appear  in  a  more  striking  view 
than  in  its  judgments  of  men.  By  its  magic  influence  the  dwarf  of  an- 
tiquity starts  up  into  a  giant ;  and,  like  the  phenomenon  called  the  Mi- 
rage, it  translates  the  men  and  the  things  of  this  earth  to  the  skies.  These 
remarks  are  made,  not  to  depreciate  those  who  have  gone  before  us,  but 
to  wain  us  not  to  depreciate  ourselves.  The  panegyrics  which  have 
been  pronounced  upon  the  works  of  some  of  our  predecessors  appear 
strange,  when  we  consider  their  writings  with  an  unprejudiced  mind  ; 
and,  perhaps,  the  same  observation  may,  without  arrogance,  be  applied 
lo  many  of  the  divines,  the  physicians,  the  jurists,  and  the  statesmen 
•whose  praises  have  reached  us  through  the  organ  of  tradition,  and  whose 
memories  have  descended  to  us  adorned  with  the  laurels  of  genius  :  but 
let  not  this  discourage  exertion  : — what  they  are  to  us !  many  of  you  will 
deservedly  be  to  future  generations  ;  and  the  pious  feelings  of  posterity 
may  cherish  your  worth  with  equal  ardour  and 'embalm  you  in  their 
hearts  with  equal  affection. 

The  spring  which  was  given  to  the  human  mind  ;  the  improvement 
which  seminaries  of  education  produced  ;  and  the  general,  extensive, 
and  augmentqd  popularity  of  intellectual  illumination,  paved  the  way  for 
*  hose  political  discussions  which  ushered  in  the  american  revolution,  and 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  13 

iinalJy  dismembered  the  british  empire.  The  study  of  the  law  as  a  libe- 
ral profession,  necessarily  leads  to  investigations  with  regard  to  the  ori- 
gin of  government,  the  constitutions  of  states,  and  the  objects  of  juris- 
prudence. The  influence  of  this  profession  upon  the  political  events  of 
the  times  could  not  escape  the  sagacity  of  Burke  :  he  assigns  it  as  one  of 
the  causes  of  the  revolution.  "This  study,"  says  he,  "render  men 
acute,  inquisitive,  dexterous,  prompt  in  attack,  ready  in  defence,  full 
of  resources.  In  other  countries  the  people,  more  simple  and  of  a  less 
mercurial  cast,  judge  of  an  ill  principle  in  government  by  an  actual 
grievance  :  here  they  anticipate  the  evil,  and  judge  of  the  pressure  of 
the  grievance  by  the  badness  of  the  principle  ;  they  augur  misgovern- 
ment  at  a  distance,  and  snuff  the  approach  of  tyranny  in  every  tainted 
breeze."* 

The  statesmen  who  appeared  at  the  dawn  of  the  revolution  attracted 
the  admiration  of  Europe ;  and  the  masterly  state  papers  which  our 
stale  convention,  and  the  general  congress  promulgated,  breathed  the 
genius  of  Greece  and  the  invincible  spirit  of  Rome  ;  and  covered  with 
glory  the  american  name.  "  When,"  said  the  elder  Pitt,  "  when  your 
lordships  look  at  the  papers  transmitted  us  from  America ; — when  you 
consider  their  decency,  firmness,  and  wisdom,  you  cannot  but  respect 
their  cause  and  wish  to  make  it  your  own.  For  myself  I  must  declare- 
and  avow,  that  in  all  my  reading  and  observation, — and  it  has  been  my 
favourite  study,  (I  have  read  Thucydides,  and  hare  studied  and  admired 
the  master  states  of  the  world,)  that,  for  solidity  of  reasoning,  force  of 
sagacity,  and  wisdom  of  conclusion,  under  such  a  complication  of  diffi- 
cult circumstances,  no  nation  or  body  of  men  can  stand  in  preference  to 
the  general  congress  at  Philadelphia.''! 

The  convulsions,  devastations,  and  horrors  which  attended  the  revo- 
lution were  ill  calculated  to  cherish  the  interests  of  science.  Out- 
seminaries  of  education  were  broken  up ;  and  all  our  attention  was 
occupied  in  resisting  the  calamities  which  pressed  upon  our  country. 
The  restoration  of  peace  opened  blighter  prospects ;  but  an  unsettled 
government,  and  a  variety  of  other  obstacles,  prevented  for  a  time 
much  attention  to  literature.  In  imitation  of  the  Royal-Society  of  Lon- 
don, which  was  established  at  the  close  of  the  civil  wars,  an  attempt  was 
made  to  found  a  philosophical  society  in  this  city  in  1784  ;  but  it  per- 
ished in  embryo.  King's-College  was  revived  on  the  13th  of  April,  1784. 
under  the  name  of  Columbia-College.  Union-College  was  founded  in 
1795.  Hamilton-College,  in  1812;  and  there  are  now  near  forty  incor- 
porated academies  dispersed  over  the  state,  which  probably  contain 
nbout  three  thousand  scholars.  A  Botanic-Garden  was  founded  iu  th« 
vicinity  of  this  city  in  1801  .(3)  A  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 

;  Speech  on  conciliation  with  America. 

-  Speech  on  a  motion  to  remove  the  troops  from  Boston. 


'14-  CLINTONS 

was  established  in  this  city  in  1807, (4)  and  another  has  been  recently  ht- 
stituted  in  the  county  of  Hcrkiraer.  The  medical  profession  has  been 
regulated  and  placed  on  a  respectable  footing.  Theological  seminaries 
of  great  merit  have  been  founded.  The  profession  of  the  law  has  also 
been  attended  to  ;  regular  examinations  are  necessary  to  insure  admis- 
sion; the  degree  of  counsellor  has  been  separated  from  the  vocation  of 
attorney  ;  and  able  reports  of  the  decisions  of  the  superior  courts  arc 
regularly  published.  A  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Agriculture,  Arts, 
and  Manufactures,  was  instituted  in  1791  ;  and  in  1804  it  was  reorgan- 
ized under  the  name  of  the  Society  lor  the  Promotion  of  Useful  Arts  : 
its  meetings  are  held  at  Albany  daring  .the  sessions  of  the  legislature  ; 
*ind  under  tlie  auspices  of  its  late  and  much-lamented  presiding  officers* 
Livingston  and  L'Hommedieu,  and  several  other  public-spirited  men* 
it  has  published  many  valuable  papers  and  has  greatly  improved  the 
agriculture  of  the  State.  An  Historical  Society  was  also  incorporated 
in  1809,  and  an  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  in  1808  ;  which  have  made  valua- 
ble appropriate  collections,  and  which  want  nothing  but  more  encour- 
agement from  the  public,  and  more  attention  from  the  members,  to 
become  highly  useful  to  the  community .(5)  Several  works  of  great 
usefulness  have  been  published ;  among  which  the  Medical  Repository, 
the  American  Medical  and  Philosophical  Register,  and  the  Mineralogical 
Journal,  hold  distinguished  rank.  And  we  have  several  intelligent  and 
enterprising  booksellers,  the  natural  and  efficient  patrons  of  literature  in 
all  countries. 

A  vast  fund,  amounting  to  a  million  and  a  half  of  dollars  in  value,  has 
been  appropriated  to  the  support  of  common  schools  ;  and  that  wonder- 
ful improvement,  the  laucasterian  system,  has  obtained  a  firm  footing. 
Our  academies  and  colleges  are  well  endowed,  and  the  blessings  of  edu- 
cation are  generally  diffused ;  and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  within  the 
reach  of  the  poorest  children  in  the  community. 

But,  although  there  is  avast  mass  of  knowledge  spread  over  the  state, 
yet  it  is,  generally  speaking,  of  the  common  kind  :  all  know  the  elemen- 
tary parts  of  instruction,  but  few  know  the  higher  branches  of  science  3 
and  there  is  not  so  much  concentrated  knowledge  in  so  many  individuals, 
as  in  Europe.  This  arises  from  a  number  of  causes  which  do  not  dispar- 
age our  intellectual  character,  and  which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  cease 
to  operate  after  a  short  time. 

In  the  first  place  we  have,  with  scarcely  any  intermission,  been  dis- 
traeted  by  party  spirit  L  in  its  bitterest  forms  of  exacerbation.  Our 
ingenuity  has  been  employed,  not  in  cultivating  a  vernacular  literature, 
or  i»  increasing  the  stock  of  human  knowledge  ;  but  in  raising  up  and 
pralliog  dowu  the  parties  Avhich  agitate  the  community.  This  violent 
spirit  has  split  society  asunder,  has  poisoned  the  intercourse  of  private 
fife,  has  spread  a  morbid  gloom  over  our  literature,  has  infected  th^ 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.         .  15 

national  taste,  and  has  palsied  the  general  prosperity.  Whatever  apol- 
ogies may  be  made  for  these  political  discussions,  by  ascribing  them  to 
an  honest  difference  in  opinion,  there  can  be  none  offered  for  the  style  and 
manner  in  which  they  are  conducted.  In  reading  the  classical  works; 
of  the  ancients  we  are  astonished  at  the  violations  of  decorum  which  ap- 
pear in  their  most  polite  and  accomplished  authors ;  who  frequently  use 
expressions  that  no  modern  writer  dare  adopt  without  the  ceitainty  of 
condemnation.  But  if  we  excel  the  ancients  in  this  respect,  we  are  far 
behind  them  in  other  branches  of  literary  good  morals.  The  style  of  our 
political  writings  has  assumed  a  character  of  rude  invective,  and  unres- 
trained licei>tiousness,  uuparralleled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world ;  and 
which  has  greatly  tended  to  injure  our  national  character.  This  lias 
principally  arisen  from  the  indiscriminate  applause  that  has  beea  conferred 
upon  certain  eminent  political  writers.  We  imitate  what  we  are  taught 
to  admire;  and  unfortunately  we  have  aped  their  boldness  of  invective,  and 
fierceness  of  denunciation,  without  exhibiting  those  fascinations  of  genius, 
which  operate  like  the  cestus  of  Venus ;  conceal  deformity,  and  heighten 
all  the  charms  of  beauty  and  grace.  Junius  arose  in  the  literary,  like  a 
comet  in  the  natural  world,  menacing  pestilence  and  war  ;  and  denoun- 
cing, in  a  style  of  boldness  and  invective  before  unknown  and  unheard 
of,  the  constituted  authorities  of  Great  Britain.  When  we  analyze  hi? 
writings,  we  find  no  extraordinary  power  of  imagination, — RO  uncommon 
extent  of  erudition, — no  remarkable  solidity  of  reasoning.  His  topics 
are  lew  ;  but  he  was  master  of  his  subject.  He  possessed,  in  a  singular 
degree,  the  vivida  vis  animi  :*  his  conceptions  were  distinct  and  lumi- 
nous, and  he  expressed  them  with  peculiar  point  and  sententious  com- 
pression ;  but  the  polished  keenness  of  his  invective  too  often  degenera- 
ted into  vulgar  scurrility.  His  importance  was  greatly  enhanced  by 
the  mystery  which  surrounded  his  person, — the  paaic  which  followed  his 
denunciations, — and  the  celebrity  which  was  attached  to  his  literary  an- 
tagonists. He  created  a  new  era  ra  political  writing  ;  his  \vorks  hav«  be- 
come the  archetype  and  the  text  book  of  political  authors  ;  and  every  ju- 
venile writer,  who  enters  the  political  lists,  endeavours  to  bend  the  bow 
of  Clysses  ;  and,  in  striving  to  make  up  in  venom  \vhat  he  wants  in  vigour 
mistakes  scurrility  for  satire,  ribaldry  for  wit,  and  confounds  the  natroa 
of  Egypt  with  the  salt  of  Attica. 

Secondly ;  after  expressing  my  profound  regret  that  those  exalted 
and  highly  cultivated  minds,  which  have  been  engaged  in  polemic  con- 
troversies, had  not  bent  more  of  their  attention  to  literary  investigations  ; 
I  consider  it  ray  duty  to  remark,  with  every  sentiment  of  respect  and 
,  that  the  medical  profession,  instead  of  making  one  harmonious 


16  CLINTON'S 

and  undivided  effort  in  favour  of  enlarging  the  dominion  of  knowledge, 
have  hitherto  been  called  away  from  this  opus  bassilicum,  this  sublime 
operation,  by  the  prevalence  of  intestine  feuds  and  animosities.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  explore  the  cause ;  perhaps  it  is  inherent  in  the  profes- 
sion. The  sources  of  most  diseases  are  concealed  from  observation, 
and  can  only  be  the  subject  of  conjecture.  Add  to  this,  that  the  same 
prescription  which  has  succeeded  in  one  case,  may  fail  in  another ; 
owing  to  different  constitutions,  different  seasons,  and  the  action  of  other 
causes.  "The  matter  is  evident,"  says  the  profound  Buffier,  "from 
the  different  arguments  of  physicians,  and  from  their  various  opinions  in 
the  daily  consultations.  Nothing  is  more  uncommon  than  to  find  physi- 
cians united  in  the  same  sentiments."*  This  constant  and  habitual 
tendency  to  collision  has  been  serioiisly  felt  in  this  city.  Instead  of 
erecting  one  grand  temple  dedicated  to  the  healing  art  we  have  had,  at 
one  time,  three  different  seminaries  in  operation  for  medical  instruc- 
tion. 

Thirdly ;  there  have  been  great  inertness  and  backwardness  on  the  part 
of  the  legal  profession,  to  encourage  general  literature.  After  the  forms 
-of  a  preliminary  education  are  passed,  the  lawyer  is  too  apt  to  devote 
himself  exclusively  to  the  learning  of  his  profession  :  and,  as  many  of  out 
lawgivers  and  statesmen  are  derived  from  this  source,  we  cannot  but  per- 
ceive and  regret  this  dearth  of  general  knowledge  in  our  legislatures  as 
well  as  in  our  forums.  How  seldom  do  we  hear  those  classical  allusions, 
diose  literary  references,  which  enliven  the  tedium  of  abstract  discussion  ; 
and  illustrate,  with  streams  of  light,  the  darkest  topics  of  investigation! 
and  this  defect  is  exhibited  in  many  of  our  state  papers  ;  which  resemble 
more  the  technical  discussions  of  the  advocate,  than  the  luminous  pro- 
ductions of  the  diplomatist.  The  greatest  intellectual  luminary  that  ever 
rose  in  a  benighted  world  was  Francis  Bacon,  a  lawyer  by  profession, 
His  rival  and  antagonist  at  the  bar  was  Coke.  They  were  both  eminent 
in  their  profession  ;  and  attained  its  highest  honours,  and  most  lucrative 
emoluments..  Bacon  became  a  lord-high-chancellor,  and  Coke  a  chief- 
justice.  The  former  had  ascended  the  empyreal  heights  of  literature  ; — 
the  latter  had  plunged  into  the  learning  of  norman  lawyers,  and  had  be- 
eome  the  oracle  of  the  common  law.  The  works  of  Bacon  are  referred 
to  as  the  oracles  of  truth  and  knowledge,  and  as  the  revelation  of  genuine 
philosophy;  while  the  black  letter  learning  of  Coke  is  an  eleusinian 
mystery  to  all  out  of  the  pale  of  the  profession.  The  difference  between 
a  mere  lawyer  great  in  his  profession  alone,  and  a  great  lawyer  eminent  in 
literature  and  science,  can  never  be  more  forcibly  illustrated  than  in  the 
'jatellectual  exhibitions  of  these  celebrated  men.  Bacon  enlivened,  en- 


Treatise  on  First  Truths,  .p. 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  17 

ached,  and  embellished  every  subject  upon  which  he  wrote  :  even  flowers 
sprung  tip  under  his  feet  in  his  journey  through  the  thorny  paths  of  legal 
investigation  ;  but  from  Coke  you  must  expect  nothing  bat  the  day,  bar- 
ren \vcedsofscholasticsubtlety  and  norman  chicanery. 

Fourthly  ;  the  energies  of  our  country  have  been  more  directed  to  the 
accumulation  of  wealth  than  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  Our  enter- 
prising spirit,  as  exhibited  in  the  fisheries,  in  navigation,  and  in  commerce, 
is  tfie  admiration  of  the  world  ;  and  if  it  had  soared  to  the  heavens  in 
pursuit  of  knowledge,  instead  of  creeping  along  the  earth  in  the  chase  of 
riches,  America  would  have  been  as  illustrious  in  the  rolls  of  fame  as 
those  states  where  literature  has  *cen  herangu«tan  ages.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  commercial  spirit  which  is  hostile  to  literature.  On  the  contrary, 
the  wealth  which  it  produces  furnishes  both  incentives  and  rewards.  The 
illustrious  family  of  the  Medici  were  merchants  in  their  origin,  and  to 
them  we  are  indebted  for  the  resurrection  of  letters  ;  but  let  us  fervently 
hope  that  after  this  passion,  so  energetic,  is  satiated  in  its  present  pursuit, 
it  may  seek  more  sublime  sources  of  gratification. 

"  To  either  India  see  the  merchant  fly, 
Scared  at  the  spectre  of  pale  poverty ; 
See  bira,  with  pains  of  body,  pangs  of  soul, 
Burn  through  the  tropic,  freeze  beneath  the  pole  ! 
Wilt  thou  do  nothing  for  a  noble  end, 
Nothing  to  make  philosophy  thy  friend  ?" 

POPB'S  Imitation  of  HORACE. 

Fifth,  and  lastly ;  in  Europe,  there  is  a  literary  corps  who  are  authors 
by  profession.  Here  we  have  scarcely  any  person  of  this  description, 
and  we  have  iiot  much  vernacular  literature.  The  consequences  are 
obvious :  while  books  are  written  beyond  the  Atlantic  as  a  matter  of 
course,  they  are  here  the  offspring  of  some  accidental  direction ;  there 
the  seed  is,  at  all  events,  thrown  into  the  ground  and  the  harvest  is 
reaped  ;  while  here  we  rely  upon  the  fortuitous  produce  of  the  chase,  or 
the  occasional  supplies  of  the  stream.  This  condition  of  things  has 
inculcated  upon  us  the  vast  superiority  of  Europe,  and  has  made  us 
despair  of  successful  competition.  America  leans  for  literary  support 
upon  Europe  ;  and  we  have  been  too  much  in  the  habit  of  estimating  the 
value  of  books  by  the  place  of  their  origin.  The  time  will  surely 
arrive  when  an  eminent  american  author  shall  be  no  longer  considered 
an  anomaly,  deriving  his  celebrity  more  from  the  singularity  than  the 
merit  of  his  productions. 

Our  colonial  historian  has,  unadvisedly,  stated  that    "  the  inhabitants 
of  this  colony  are,  in  general,  healthy  and   robust ;  taller,  but  short 


18  ..  CLINTON'S 

lived,  than  europcans  ;"*  and  a  (reach  abbe.f  who  was  attached  to  count 
Rochambfau's  army,  and  who  published  a  small  book  of  travels,  visited 
some  of  our  church  yards ;  and  seeing,  or  fancying  that  he  saw*  on 
iue  tombstones,  bnt  few  notices  of  persons  who  had  attained  consid- 
erable longevity  has  hazarded  this  general  conclusion,  that  the  ameri- 
cans  are  shorter  lived  than  the  people  of  Europe.  Censuses  have  been 
taken  of  this  city  and  state,  and  of  the  United  States,  at  various  times, 
and  with  unquestionable  accuracy.  Bills  of  mortality  have  been  kept 
here ;  and  in  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and  some  other  towns ;  and  tables 
of  the  number  of  births  have  also  been  collected  in  a  few  places.  On 
comparing  the  births  with  the  whole  population,  the  deaths  with  the 
whole  population,  the  number  of  births  with  the  number  of  deaths,  and 
considering  our  rapid  augmentation  of  inhabitants,  doubling  in  some 
states  in  thirteen  or  fourteen  years,  and  upon  a  general  average  in 
every  twenty  or  twenty-three  years,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the. 
United  States  have  a  decided  advantage,  over  the  healthiest  parts  of 
Europe.  While  in  Paris,  London,  and  Amsterdam,  there  are  more  deaths 
than  births,  it  is  ascertained  that,  in  our  great  cities,  there  are  at  least 
two  births  to  one  death.  The  charges  which  have  been  brought  against 
the  supposed  deleterious  effects  of  our  climate,  upon  the  human  body, 
have  been  thus  refuted  with  the  certainty  of  demonstration. 

The  imputation  of  an  unfriendly  influence  upon  the  mind  is  equally 
groundless.  Although  there  is,  in  all  probability,  some  strong  affinity 
between  ciimate  and  genius  yet  we  have  no  reason  to  repine  at  our  lot ; 
for  the  peculiarities  which  distinguish  us  in  this  respect  arc  not  unfa- 
roiirable  to  intellectual  energy.  The  connexion  between  the  mind, 
and  the  body,  is  universally  admitted  ;  and  the  country  which  administers 
to  the  beauty,  the  strength,  and  the  health  of  the  latter,  cannot  derogate 
from  the  vigorous  faculties  of  the  former.  We  have  more  rain,  more  evap- 
oration, more  sunshine,  and  a  greater  number  of  clear  days  than  they 
have  in  Europe  :  onr  atmosphere,  it  is  supposed,  contains  more  electri- 
cal fluid  ;  and  we  are  exposed  to  greater  extremes  of  heat  and  cold. 
We  have  no  season  corresponding  with  the  european  spring ;  but  the 
greater  part  of  our  autumn  is  unparalleled  for  beauty,  pleasantness, 
and  salubrity.  These  qualities  of  our  climate  are  by  no  means  hostile 
to  the  growth  of  the  intellect ;  on  the  contrary,  most  of  them  are 
highly  friendly  to  the  excitement  of  genius  ;  and  we  cannot  better  ex- 
press our  ideas  on  this  subject  than  by  adopting  the  language  of  a  distin- 
guished member  of  this  society  :  "  If  genius,  industry,  erudition,  and 
the  liberal  arts,  are  begotten  and  nourished  in  a  temperate  climate  and 
a  pure  atmosphere,  America  has  much  to  expect ;  for  the  climate  wiJN 

••'*  Siuith's  history  of  the  province  of  JNew-YorV, 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  18 

ever  be  temperate,  and  the  atmosphere  pure,  through  the  greater  part 
of  the  continent."* 

With  respect  to  the  fertility  of  our  soil,  the  excellence  and  abun- 
dance of  its  products,  and  the  luxuriant  power  of  vegetation,  there  cap 
be  no  dispute.  Famine  has  never  been  heard  of  ;  and  if  facility  of  sub- 
sistence, salubrity  and  plenty  of  food,  and  all  the  comforts  of  life,  can 
produce  that  composure  r.ud  serenity  which  are  generally  necessary  to 
elicit  the  powers  of  the  mind,  there  is  no  country  \vhich  can  claim  a  su- 
periority over  the  United  States. 

The  nature  of  our  government  and  the  constitution  of  our  confederacy, 
are  admirably  adapted  to  promote  the  interests  of  science.  Free  govern- 
ments are  the  native  soil  of  great  talents.  "  Though  a  republic  should 
be  barbarous,"  says  Hume,  "  it  necessarily,  by  an  infallible  operation, 
gives  rise  to  law  even  before  mankind  have  made  any  considerable  ad- 
vances in  the  other  sciences ;  from  law  arises  security  ;  from  security 
curiosity,  and  from  curiosity  knowledge."!  That  most  profound  politi- 
cal writer,  whom  I  have  just  quoted,  with  the  vast  volume  of  history 
before  his  eyes,  and  aided  by  all  the  powers  of  an  analyzing  and 
investigating  mind,  has  laid  down  the  following  incontrovertible  pro- 
positions in  relation  to  the  influence  of  government  upon  the  arts  and 
sciences. 

1.  It  is  impossible  for  the  arts  and  sciences  to  arise,  at  first,  among  any 
people  unless  that  people  enjoy  the  blessing  of  a  free  government. 

2.  Nothing  is  more  favourable  to  the  rise  of  politeness,  and  learning, 
than  a  number  of  neighbouring  and  independent  states  connected  together 
by  commerce  and  policy. 

3.  Though  the  only  proper  nursery  of  these  valuable  plants  be  a  free 
government,  yet  taay  they  be  transplanted  into  any  government ;  and  a 
republic  is  most  favourable  to  the  growth  of  the  sciences,  a  civilized 
monarchy  to  that  of  the  polite  arts.J 

Although  this  was  published  more  than  half  a  century  ago,  yet  it  suits 
our  situation  so  precisely  that  one  would  suppose  the  writer  had  the 
United  States  fully  in  his  view.  Perhaps  the  flourishing  condition  of  the 
literature  of  Europe  is,  in  a  great  degree,  owing  to  the  division  of  that 
continent  into  a  number  of  independent  states.  Each  capital  is  a  place 
where  letters  are  encouraged,  and  the  different  governments  vie  with  each 
other  in  rewarding  the  effusions  of  genius;  but  if  Charles  V.,  Lewis 
XIV.,  or  Napoleon,  had  succeeded  in  establiihing  an  universal  monarchy 
the  dark  ages  of  gothic  barbarity  would  have  revisited  mankind.  Thu«? 
under  the  direction  of  an  all-wise  and  beneficent  God,  the  half-civilized 
serf  of  Russia  has  become  the  unconscious  guardian  and  protector  of 


•*  Williamson  on  the  Climate  of  America,  p.  177. 
^Hume's  Essays,  vol.  1.  Mtlj  Esiay.  i  Ibid 


20  CLINTON'S 

knowledge.  The  small  country  of  Attica,  not  so  large  as  Long-Island, 
can  ue^er  be  contemplated  without  the  mingled  emotions  of  veneration 
and  sorrow.  "  Ab  Atbrnis  enim  humanitas,  doctrina,  religio,  fruges, 
jura,  leges,  ort<E,  atque  in  omnes  terras  distributa,  pulantur."  "  It  is 
acknowledged,"  said  Cicero,  •*  that  literature,  polite  arts,  religion,  agri- 
culture, laws,  and  social  rights,  originated  in  Athens  and  were  thence 
distributed  over  a51  nations."  The  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  excellence 
of  the  climate,  the  freedom  of  the  government,  and  the  enterprising  spirit 
of  il.t;  people,  must  have  cooperated  in  producing  this  transcendent  and 
preeminent  state  of  human  exaltation.  And  if  a  comparison  was  institu- 
ted :ii  those  respects,  between  that  country  and  ours,  in  what  important 
part  would  we  be  deficient  ? 

We  are,  perhaps,  more  favoured  in  another  point  of  view.  Atlica  was 
peopled  from  Kgypt ;  but  we  can  boast  of  our  descent  from  a  superior 
stock.  I  speak  not  oi  families  or  dynasties;  I  refer  to  our  origin  from 
thost  nations  where  civilization,  knowledge,  and  refinement  have  erected 
their  empire;  and  where  human  nature  has  attained  its  greatest  perfection. 
!;.tr  Holland.  Great  Britain,  Ireland,  France,  and  Germany,  and 
what  wouU  -me  of  civilized  man  ?  this  country,  young  as  it  is,  would 
be  tfi-'  great  Atlas  remaining  to  support  the  dignity  of  the  world  :  and 
perhaps  our  mingled  descent  from  various  nations  may  have  a  benign 
influence  upon  genius.  We  perceive  the  improving  effects  of  an  analo- 
gous state  upon  vegetables  and  inferior  animals.  The  extraordinary 
characters  which  the  United  States  have  produced  may  be,  in  some 
measure,  ascribed  to  the  mixed  blood  of  so  many  nations  flowing  in  our 
veins ;  and  it  may  be  confidently  predicted  that  the  operation  of  causes, 
acting  w  ith  irresistible  effect,  will  carry  in  this  country  all  the  improvable 
faculties  of  human  nature  to  the  highest  state  of  perfection. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  United  States  afford  every  reasonable 
facility  and  inducement  for  the  cultivation  of  letters,  it  cannot  be  doubted 
but  that  this  city  is  the  proper  scite  for  a  great  literary  and  scientific  insti- 
tution. When  we  view  the  magnitude  of  its  population,  the  extent  of 
its  commerce,  the  number  of  its  manufactures,  and  the  greatness  of  its 
opulence  ;  when  we  contemplate  its  position  near  the  Atlantic,  its  nume- 
rous channels  of  communication  by  land  and  by  water  with  every  part  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  constant  and  easy  intercourse  it  can  maintain 
with  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world;  when  we  consider  the  vast  fund  of 
talent,  information,  enterprise,  and  industry  which  it  contains;  and  when 
ive  take  a  prospective  view  of  the  rank  which  it  is  destined  to  occupy  as 
the  greatest  commercial  emporium  in  the  vmrld,  we  must  acknowledge 
that  no  position  could  be  selected  better  adapted  for  acquiring  informa- 
tion, concentrating  knowledge,  improving  literature,  and  extending 
science  :  and  we  may  say  ol  this  place  as  Sprat,  in  his  history  of  the 
Royal- Society,  said  of  London  :  "  It  has  a  large  intercourse  with  all  the 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  21 

earth ;  it  is,  as  the  poets  describe  their  bouse  of  fame,  a  city  where  all  the 
noises  and  busiuess  in  the  world  do  meet,  and  therefore  this  honour  is 
justly  due  to  it,  to  be  the  constant  pHice-of  residence  for  that  knowledge 
which  is  to  be  made  up  of  the  reports  and  intelligence  of  all  countries."* 

The  Royal-Society  of  London,  for  the  improving  of  natural  knowledge, 
ihe  first  institution  of  this  kind,)  was  established  about  the  year  1663. 
Butler,  the  author  of  Hudibras,  wrote  a  satire  against  it  entitled  '•  Thr 
elephant  in  the  moon."  Sprat,  the  historian  of  the  society,  feeling  too 
acutely  the  shafts  of  ridicule,  attempted  in  a  singular  way  to  propitiate  the 
hostile  wits.  "  To  gain  their  good  will,"  said  he,  *'  I  must  acquaint  them 
that  the  family  of  Railleurs  is  said  to  be  derived  from  the  same  original 
with  the  philosophers.  The  founder  of  philosophy  is  confessed  by  all  to 
be  Socrates,  and  he  also  was  the  famous  author  of  all  irony.  They  ought, 
therefore,  to  be  tender  in  this  matter,  wherein  the  honour  of  their  com- 
mon parent  i>  concerned. "f  Cowley,  on  the  other  hand,  wrote  a  com- 
plimentary address  to  the  society. 

The  satire  of  Butler  has  sunk  into  oblivion,  while  the  society  which  it 
assailed  has  established  a  reputation  and  usefulness  that  cannot  be  sub- 
verted or  denied.  From  its  origin  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century 
(as  appears  from  dr.  Thompson's  history  of  the  Royal-Society  from  its 
institution  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century)  it  has  published  4,166 
memoirs  on  natural  history,  anatomy,  surgery,  medicine,  mathematics, 
mechanical  philosophy,  chymistry,  and  miscellaneous  subjects ;  the 
greatest  number  of  which  is  on  astronomy,  medicine,  and  chynmtry. 
The  institution  of  this  society  was  soon  followed  by  that  of  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris,  and  similar  associations  have  been  since 
formed  in  almost  all  the  important  cities  of  Europe. 

The  first  society  of  the  kind  in  this  country  was  the  American-Philo- 
sophical-Society, held  at  Philadelphia,  for  promoting  useful  knowledge, 
which  was  founded  in  1769  ;  its  principal  promoter  was  dr.  Franklin  :((J) 
it  has  pLubl;shed  six  volumes  of  transactions.  The  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  incorporated  in  Massachusetts  in  1 730 ;  and  the 
Connecticut  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  established  in  1799. 
All  these  institutions  have  given  to  the  world  several  useful  and  interesting 
memoirs.  The  United  States  Military  Philosophical  Society  was  founded 
at  West  Point,  i'.i  this  state,  in  1802,  by  colonel  Williams,  chief  of  the 
Co^>s  of  Engineers,  and  Military  Academy.  The  whole  corps  of  engi- 
neers were  the  original  members ;  and  its  number  has  been  increased  by 
the  admission  of  others  from  different  parts  of  the  United  States.  This 
attempt  to  diffuse  science  has  been  attended  with  remarkable  success,  and 
was  worthy  of  the  gentleman  who  inherits  the  investigating  mind  as  well 
as  the  blood  of  dr.  Franklin.  The  travels  and  discor erics  of  Pike,  the 


*  Sprat's  History  of  the  Royal  Society.  f  Ibid. 


22  CLINTON'S 

history  of  Louisiana  by  Sioddard,  the  code  of  Martial  Law  by  Macomb, 
a  treatise  on  the  Orgnnizatiou  of  Artillery  by  Morton,  several  important 
military  memoirs  by  the  president  of  that  institution,  and  the  system  of 
maritime  defence  adopted,  and  now  visible  in  our  harbour,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  emanations  from  it. 

Such  associations  are  productive  of  great  individual  and  collective 
benefit :  they  stimulate  the  mind  to  exertion,  produce  emulation,  and 
form  habits  of  observing  with  accuracy  and  of  reading  with  attention  ,* 
they  elicit  powers  that  would  otherwise  lie  dormant,  and  collect  know- 
ledge that  would  otherwise  be  scattered.  '*  Science,  like  fire,  is  put  in 
motion  by  collision."*  The  communion  of  cultivated  minds  must  always 
have  a  benign  influence  on  knowledge  ;  and  the  experience  of  a  century 
and  a  half  bears  testimony  to  this  truth. 

The  objects  of  the  Liter-try  aim  Philosophical  Society  ef  New- York 
being  coextensive  with  the  principal  branches  of  human  knowledge,  an 
unbounded  prospect  of  investigation  lies  before  us.  It  would  be  an 
herculean  task,  far  transcending  my  powers  and  occupying  too  much 
time,  to  point  out  those  desiderata  in  scie nee  v,  hich  ought  to  be  sup- 
plied ;  and  to  indicate  those  improvements  and  refinements  which  ought 
to  be  engrafted  into  our  literature ;  but  it  «ia>  not  be  unimportant,  with 
respectful  deference,  and  in  a  very  concise  manner,  to  invite  your  atten- 
tion to  those  objects  of  inquiry  which  refer  to  the  peculiar  situation  of 
this  country  which  have  been  little  attended  to  or  entirely  neglected  ; 
and  which,  on  account  of  their  peculiar  importance,  deserve  and  cemand 
our  notice. 

In  the  first  place,  the  geology  of  our  country  is  almost  unknown,  and 
few  attempts  have  been  made  to  elucidate  it.  William  Madura  has,  in- 
deed, applied  the  wernerian  system  to  the  United  States  ;  has  undertaken 
to  divide  the  country  into  regions  of  primitive  transition,  fl&tz.  and  allu- 
vial rocks  ;  and  has,  upon  this  plan,  delineated  those  different  formations 
in  a  geological  map  of  the  United  States.  He  has  not  noticed  any  vol- 
canic formations  ;  probably  from  an  opinion  that  none  exist. 

Dr.  Mitchill,  in  a  report  made  to  the  Agricultural  Society,  has  divided 
the  state  into 

The  granite  country, 
The  schistic, 

The  lime  stone,  f 

The  sand  stone,  and 
The  alluvial ; 
and  has  designated  the  different  regions  in  which  those  divisions  exist. 


Transactions  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Manchester. 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  23 

Tolnov,  borrowing  the  ideas  of  Mitciiill,  without  acknowledging  the 
obligation,  has  applied  this  theory  to  the  United  States  at  large ;  and  his 
geological  di?ision  consists  of 

The  granite  region, 

The  region  of  sand  stone, 

The  calcarious  region, 

The  region  of  sea  sand,  and 

The  region  of  river  alluvions. 

He  has  in  one  instance,  departed  from  dr.  Mitchill's  arrangement  by 
substituting  a  region  of  sea  sand  fora  schistic  region.* 

These  are  the  principal  attempts  which  have  been  made  to  illustrate 
our  geology  ;  and  although  entitled  to  merit  they  are  imperfect ;  and, 
probably,  to  a  considerable  extent  fanciful.  Amid  the  thirty-eight  dif- 
ferent substances  which  Mac  lure  has  mentioned  as  composing  the  different 
formations,  the  others  hare  designated  but  five;  and  although  I  presume 
that  the  denomination  given  to  a  particular  region  is  only  intended  to 
indicate  that  the  principal  rocks  or  substances  are  of  the  kind  from  which 
the  appellation  is  derived,  yet  it  must  be  obvious,  that  in  such  an  extent 
of  country  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  arrive  at  such  a  conclusion  without 
thr  most  minute  and  scrutinizing  surveys.  It  is  difficult  to  distinguish 
and  ascertain  the  different  kinds  of  formations ;  it  requires  considerable 
practical  knowledge  to  discriminate  between  matter  purely  inorganic, 
and  its  mixture  with  organic  substances ,  and  as  strata  of  different  as 
well  as  of  cognate  species  are  not  only  piled  upon  each  other,  but  are 
frequently  bniied  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  there  is  great  difficulty  in 
forming  just  conclusions.  This  science,  and  the  kindred  science  of  mine- 
ralogy, have  been  almost  entirely  uncultivated  with  us;  and  when  we 
consider  their  immense  importance,  and  the  extensive  investigation 
which  they  open,  we  must  be  convinced  that  we  ought  to  devote  more 
than  ordinary  attention  to  their  cultivation. 

The  aspect  or  physiognomy  of  our  country  is  certainly  marked  by 
striking  and  extraordinary  characters.  The  Hudson  is  the  only  river  in 
the  United  States  where  the  tide  passes  through  the  alluvial  primitive 
transition,  and  into  the  0aetz  formation.  In  the  east  we  have  an  ocean  of 
salt  water.  In  the  west  we  have  fresh-water  seas  of  immense  extent : 
there  is  every  indication,  not  only  of  the  recession  of  lakes,  but  also  of 
their  total  exsiccation  :(7)  hence  we  have  three  kinds  of  alluvial  forma- 
tions :  one  arising  from  the  retreat  of  the  o^ean.  another  from  the  subsi* 
dence  or  extinction  of  lakes :  and  another  from  the  overflowing,  retreat, 
and  change  of  rivers.  Marirfe  and  vegetable  substances  are  to  be  found. 


*  See  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  vol.  6. — Trans- 
acnc"  jf  :'.<.-  Society  of  Arts,  held  at  Albany,  vol.  1.  j  and  Volney's  View  of  the 
Baited  States. 


24  CLINTON'S 

particularly  in  the  western  parts  of  the  state,  embedded  in  sand  stone  01 
in  siliceous  or  ealcarious  stone  ;  and,  besides  evidently  recognising  in  them 
aquatic  animals  which  are  well  known  to  us ;  we  perceive  a  great  number 
of  liuktiown  ones  that  must  be  pelasgian  or  oceanic,  and  which  must  have 
derived  their  location  i'rora  the  general  submersion  of  the  earth.  The 
cornu  ammonis  has  been  found  near  Albany,  about  which  there  is  a  diver- 
sity of  opinion  ;  same  supposing  that  it  is  the  horn  or  bone  of  some  ani- 
mal ;  while  others  consider  it  a  native  fossil. (8).  Ail  these  indications 
support  the  neptunian  theory  ;  but  there  are  several  circumstances  which 
denote  the  agency  of  an  igneous  principle.  Volney,  indeed,  supposes 
that  lake  Ontario  occupies  the  crater  of  a  volcano  ;  and  it  is  believed 
that  the  drowned  lands  in  Orange  county  exhibit,  in  many  places,  strong 
evidences  of  voicatiic  eruptions. 

Our  principal  metals  are  iron  and  lead  ;  of  inflammable  fossils  we  have 
made  no  discoveries  of  any  consequence;  although  there  is,  no  doubt, 
plenty  of  coal.  Lime,  marble,  marl,  flint,  gypsum,  slate  for  building, 
clays  for  manufacturing,  and  ochres  of  various  kinds  have  been  discovered 
in  jr/fiat  quantities.  Salt  springs  exist  in  Ououdaga,  Cayuga,  Seneca, 
Ontario,  and  Gi-'nesee  counties ;  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  vast 
strati  of  fossil  salt,  commencing  at  Onondaga  as  the  most  easterly  point, 
ni;:  west  through  this  state,  the  back  pait  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  ; 
and  the  states  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee  ;  pass  under  the  bed  of 
.a,  Mississippi  river,  and  finally  may  be  traced  in  the  remotest  wilds  of 
Louisiana.  A  bed  of  gypsum  begins  in  the  town  of'Sullivan,  in  Madison 
county,  and  branches  in  a  western  direction  ;  it  is  very  wide,  and  its 
depth  has  not  been  ascertained  :  it  appears  in  several  places  in  the  towns 
of  SemprOiiius,  Minlius,  and  Camillas  ;  but  its  main  body  seems  to  pass 
through  Aurelius,  and  near  the  outlets  of  the  Cayugi  and  Sen  :ca  lakes 
and  Phelps  town,  in  Ontario  county  ;  and,  finally,  it  is  visible  at  Grand 
lli'-er  in  Upper  Canada. (9)  The  value  of  these  saline  and  earthly  sub- 
stances is  incalculable  :  several  millions  of  bushels  of  salt  can  be  easily 
made  in  this  .state ;  and  three  millions  are  imported  in  ordinary  times. 
Gypsum  formerly  came  to  us  in  small  quantities  from  France,  and  our 
supplies  have  been  derived,  for  a  long  time  from  Nova  Scotia.  It  has 
created  a  new  era  in  agriculture  :  under  its  influence  the  wilderness  and 
the  solitary  place  become  glad,  and  the  desert  rejoices  and  blossoms  as 
the  rose.  We  have  not  only  a  sufficient  quantity  for  our  own  use,  but 
we  now  accommodate  Pennsylvania  with  from  ten  thousand  to  fifteen 
thousand  tons  of  this  invaluable  manure.  The  state  would  have  been  in 
a  truly  enviable  situation,  if  correspondent  discoveries  of  coal  mines  had1 
been  made  ;  and  the  recent  refusal  of  the  legislature  to  promote  this  im- 
portant object  is  seriously  to  be  regretted. 

The  medicinal  and  mineral  springs  with  which  this  state  abounds  are 
deserving  of  further  investigation.  The  springs  in  Saratoga  county  arc 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  25 

unrivalled  for  salubrity ;  others  exist  in  different  places,  which  have  bene- 
ficial effects  upon  health.  There  are  .sulphur  springs  in  Otsego,  Cayuga, 
and  Ontario  counties ;  and  it  remains  yet  to  be  determined  whether  great 
quantities  of  sulphur  may  not  be  obtained  from  them.  There  is  a 
bituminous  spring  in  Alleghany  county,  whence  the  famous  Seneka  oil 
is  obtained.  In  Purchas'  Pilgrims,  it  is  stated,  that  "  near  unto  Buchan 
in  Persia  is  a  very  strange  and  wonderful  fountain  under  ground,  out  of 
which  there  springeth  and  issueth  a  marvellous  quantity  of  black  oil, 
which  serveth  all  parts  of  Persia  to  burn  in  their  houses."*  It  is  also 
used  in  that  country  for  lighting  streets,  and  in  its  purest  forms  is  called 
Xaptha.  At  Aniiano,  in  Italy,  JLhe  petroleum  of  a-  spring,  discovered 
within  a  few  years,  is  also  employed  to  light  their  cities.  It  might  be  of 
considerable  consequence  to  discover  whether  the  petroleum  of  our 
springs  might  not  be  used  for  like  beneficial  purposes.(lO) 

'*  Homo  naturae  minister  et  interpres."  Man  is  the  minister  and 
interpreter  of  nature,  said  a  great  philosopher  ;f  and  he  ought  unques- 
tionably to  commence  the  study  of  the  important  science  of  nature  by 
becoming  acquainted  with  his  own  species  in  every  form  of  existence, 
and  in  every  stage  of  society  from  the  erratic  savage  of  the  forest  to  the 
polished  inhabitant  of  the  city.  In  this  country  we  behold  man  in  every 
shape  and  modification,  of  insulated  and  social  being.  When  we  peruse 
Herodotus'  description  of  the  scythians  ;  Thueydides'  of  the  ancient 
grecians  ;  Caesar's  of  the  gauls  and  britons ;  and  Tacitus'  of  the  germans, 
we  perceive  the  prototypes  of  our  indians :  but  we  have  it  in  our  power 
to, view  man  in  a  savage  state  with  our  own  eyes,  without  relying  upon  the 
reports  of  others;  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  much  time  has  trans- 
pired without  more  attention  being  bestowed  on  this  interesting  subject. 
Dr.  Robertson  says,  "  almost  two  centuries  elapsed  after  the  discoTr; 
America  before  the  manners  of  its  inhabitants  attracted,  in  any  consider- 
able degree,  the  attention  of  philosophers."  This  neglect  can,  perhaps, 
never  be  fully  retrieved.  An  intercourse  with  civilized  man  has  changed 
our  indians  in  almost  every  respect ;  but  there  is  still  a  sufficient  remnant 
of  their  manners,  languages,  and  traditions  left  to  interest  inquiry  and 
invite  investigation  :  in  some  very  rc:note  quarters  they  may  still  bt  found 
ia  the  unsophisticated  forms  of  original  barbarism  ;  unaltered  by  extrinsic 
intercourse.  Many  of  their  languages  may  still  be  redeemed  from  obli- 
vion, their  persons  may  be  delineated,  and  their  manners  and  traditions 
may  be  described  ;  anJ  the  knowledge  which  may  be  obtained!  added 
to  what  has  already  been  collected,  may  furnish  invaluable  illustrations 
of  the  hmiun  species-(ll)  The  number  of  languages  in  Mexico  fc  thirty- 
five",  of  wh;ch  fourteen  have  grammars  and  dictionaries.  The  Bible  has 
been  translated  by  Elliot,  the  indian  apostle,  into  thcalgonquin  language  :t 
two  thousand  copies  of  the  Mohawk  version  of  St.  John's  gospel  hav« 

'*  Purchas'  Pilgrims,  vol.  2.  p.  1431.  f  Clavigero's  Mexico,  vo!   ". 

*  Barcflt's  IVpvnm  Oreanmrv 

D 


2'tf  CLINTON'S 

been  lately  printed  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society ;  and  we 
iiave  many  and  considerable  collections  of  words  in  different  Indian  Ian- 
gh.'ges.  Our  antiquities  are  of  two  kinds,  such  as  relate  to  the  aborigi- 
nal, an.!  colonial  states.  We  have  no  indian  monuments  or  curiosities  that 
can  be  compared  with  the  forts  on  the  Ohio,  or  with  the  temples  of  the 
Aztecs.  There  are  some  remains  of  Indian  pottery,(12)  of  weapons,  and  of 
rude  paintings.  Mounds  of  earth,  like  the  tumuli  in  Scandinavia,  Russia 
and  Tartary,  the  barrows  in  England,  and  the  cairns  in  Scotland  and 
Ireland,  may  still  be  seen;  and  also  the  outlines  of  extensive  fortifica- 
tions. But  the  variegated  condition  of  the  white  man  here  exhibits 
human  nature  in  all  its  shapes  :  we  behold  him  in  every  stage  of  society 
from  the  semi-savage  hunter,  to  a  polished  citizen;  and  we  perceive  every 
stage  of  cultivation  from  the  first  tree  that  was  cut  to  the  elegant  habi- 
tation. "  In  North  America,"  says  a  distinguished  writer,  "  a  traveller 
who  sets  out  from  a  great  town,  where  the  social  state  has  attained  to 
perfection,  traverses  successively  all  degrees  of  civilization  and  industry, 
ivliich  keep  diminishing  till  he  arrives  in  a  few  days  at  the  rude  and  un- 
seemly hut  formed  of  the  trunks  of  trees  newly  cut  down.  Such  a  jour- 
ney is  a  sort  of  practical  analysis  of  the  origin  of  nations  and  states. 

We  set  out  from  the  most  complicated  union  to  arrive  at  the  most  sim- 
ple elements.  We  travel  in  retrogression  the  history  of  the  progress  of 
the  human  mind,  and  we  find  in  space  what  is  due  on'y  to  the  succession 
of  time."* 

Zoology  has  been  greatly  neglected.  Linnaeus  has  distributed  animals 
into  six  classes  ;  and  has  arranged  the  mammalia,  consisting  of  viviparous 
animals  which  suckle  their  offspring,  into  seven  orders  ;  according  to 
the  position  and  peculiarity  of  their  teeth.  (13)  This  arrangement,  which 
places  man  in  the  same  order  with  apes,  monkeys  and  bats,  has  been  re- 
jected by  eminent  zoologists.  Some  have  distinguished  animals  by  the 
hoofs  and  toes,  and  others  by  the  structure  of  the  heart.  The  want  of  a 
regular  and  established  system  has  created  confusion  in  this  science,  and 
has  added  to  the  difficulties  of  those  europeans  who  have  attempted  to 
describe  our  animals.  There  has  not  been  written  in  this  country,  any 
professed  work  on  its  quadrupeds ;  and  those  sketches  which  have  been 
published  are  greatly  deficient,  especially  in  omitting  to  notice  at  large 
the  habitudes  and  manners  of  animals;  the  most  interesting  part  of  natu- 
ral history.  A  writer  devoting  himself  to  the  elucidation  of  our  quadru- 
peds alone,  and  confining  his  view  to  this  state,  would  have  subjects  of 
vast  interest  and  moment.  He  would  undoubtedly  place  at  the  head  of 
bis  list,  the  mammoth,  or  elephas  arnericanus  ;  skeletons  of  which  have 
been  discovered  in  Orange  and  Ulster  counties  and  one  has  been  put  up 
in  Peale's  Museum.  He  would  elicit  all  the  information  that  could  be  ob- 
tained ti-otn  this  source  :  be  would  examine  the  different  hypotheses 
have  been  suggested  in  relation  to  this  animal,  and  he  >vonld  no?7 

r  Talleyrafi«J  on  Colonization 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE. 

even  overlook  the  traditions  of  the  Indians  ;  he  would  determine  whether 
it  was  herbivorous,  or  carnivorous  ;  whether  it  was  the  hippopotamus 
the  rhinoceros,  the  common  elephant,  a  monster  of  the  ocean,  or  a  dis- 
tinct race  of  animals  ;  and  he  would  avail  himself  of  the  knowledge  which 
is  to  be  derived  from  the  russian  discoveries.  (14) 

He  would  then  describe  the  white  brown  or  grizzly  bear  ;  the  ferocious 
tyrant  of  the  american  woods  ;  and  would  show  that  it  is  a  nondescript' 
and  a  distinct  animal  from  the  ursos  arctos,*  or  polar  bear:  with  which  it 
4s  confounded.  He  would  state  the  effects  that  the  settlement  of  the 
whites,  and  particularly  the  terror  which  accompanies  the  gun, 
have  had  upon  wild  animal-  ;  driving  them  into  the  boundless  regions  of 
the  northwest,  and  over  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi;  that  the  grizzly 
bear  formerly  resided  in  this  state,  according  to  the  traditions  of  the 
Delaware  and  Mohican  Indians  who  say  that  the  last  ***  seen  on  the 
cast  side  of  Hudson's  river  ;  and  they  to  this  day  terriiy  their  children 
with  it  ;  that  the  claw  of  the  unknown  animal  which  was  discovered  in  a 
cave  in  Virginia,  and  which  rar.  Jefferson  calls  the  Megalo'iyr,  was  pro- 
bably the  claw  of  this  animal  :  who  has  retreated  from  the  eastern  parts 
»f  the  continent,  and  occupies  that  wide  and  extensive  range  of  country 
upon  all  the  waters  which  form  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  :  where  he 
exists  the  terror  of  the  savages,  and  the  tyrant  of  all  other  animals;  de- 
vouring alike  mau  and  beast,  and  defying  the  attacks  of  whole  tribes  of 
indiaus.  (15) 

These  descriptions  might  be  increased  in  interest  by  referring  to  the 
time  when  the  buffalo,  which  now  occupies  the  prairies  of  Lou:;iana  in 
herds  sometimes  of  fifty  thousand,  inhabited  this  state.  This  animal  is 
supposed,  by  Pennant  to  be  the  bonasus,  urns,  or  bison  of  the  ancients  and 
the  stock  from  whence  our  domestic  cattle  is  derived;  although  Biiffbn 
is  of  a  different  opinion.  He  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  the 
bos  Indicus,  or  buffalo  of  India,  which  is  a  distinct  race  and  is  in  a  domes- 
tic state  in  Italy  and  some  other  parts  of  Europe.  The  american  buffalo 
has  also  been  tamed  in  a  few  instances  ;  and  both  these  animals  may  be 
rendered  highly  useful  in  husbandry.  (16)  The  moose  and  the  elk  have, 
been  confounded  together  by  european  naturalists,  whereas  they  are 
radically  distinct.  (17)  The  former  is  confined  to  America,  is  never 
seen  south  of  the  forty-fourth  degree  of  oorth  latitude,  and  his  range  is 
limited  to  about  ten  degrees  of  latitude  and  fewer  of  longitude  :  he  may 
probably  grow  to  the  height  of  twenty  hands.  There  is  reason  to  appre- 
hend the  total  extinction  of  these  animals,  as  they  herd  in  droves  of  eigh- 
teen or  twenty  In  winter  and  return  to  the  same  spot  at  night ;  and,  when 
the  snow  is  deep  and  encrusted,  suffer  themselves  to  be  kiUed  without 
moving  from  the  place  they  have  trampled.  It  is  now  time,  therefore, 

*  Ursos  arctos.  The  Linnsan  name  of  that  animal  i?  ursus  raaritiraus ;  of  the 
•Common  bear  of  Europe,  ursus  arctos  ;  and  of  the  common  bear  of  America,  ursos 
arftericanus.  The  grizzly  bear  has  no  scientific  name. 


£3  CLINTON7  'S 

to  have  an  accurate  account  of  this  animal,  which  may  still  be  found  in 
northern  parts  of  the  state  ;  and  the  idea  was  so  forcibly  impressed  upon 
the  mind  of  a  tea  ned  emigrant,*  that  in  an  address  to  an  Agricultural 
Society  in  Whitestown,  in  1795,  he  proposed  premiums  for  certain  dis- 
sertations; and  among  others,  '*  for  the  best  anatomical  and  historical 
account  of  the  moose,  fifty  dollars ;  or  for  bringing  one  in  alive,  sixty 
dollars."  The  moose,  as  well  as  the  elk,  may  be  reclaimed  from  its  wild 
state.  The  latter  is  not  so  tall  as  the  former  and,  perhaps,  never  exceeds 
fifteen  hands  ;  and  he  generally  inhabits  milder  climates.  The  reindeer 
has  also  in  former  times,  in  all  probability,  extended  his  travels  to  this 
state  from  the  regions  of  the  north  ;  his  favorite  food,  the  lichen  rangi- 
ferinus,  is  to  be  found  in  our  mountains.  Our  tiger,  or  panther,  the  felis 
concoler  of  Schreber,  and  the  couguar  of  Buffon,  is  the  same  animal 
called  the  puma  or  lion  of  South  America  where  he  is  extremely  fero- 
cious; the  mildness  of  our  climate  having  rendered  him  a  less  dangerous 
animal.  The  beaver  in  his  state  of  habitation,  may  still  be  found  in  the 
remote  parts  of  the  state.  The  names  of  many  creeks,  rivers,  and  places 
denote  the  former  residence  of  animals  which  Jmve  long  since  abandoned 
thtm  ;  but  it  would  engross  too  much  time  to  pursue  these  hints.  I 
cannot,  however,  close  them  without  remarking  that  this  branch  of 
zoology  affords  abundant  room  for  original  inquiry  and  description. 

Many  meritorious  attempts  have  been  made  to  illustrate  the  orni- 
thology of  America.  Mr.  Alexander  Wilson,  whose  death  is  to  be  sin- 
cerely lamented  by  every  friend  of  science,  had  devoted  himself  for 
years  to  this  subject  with  an  enthusiasm,  industry,  and  ability  never  sur- 
passed. The  exactness  of  his  likeness,  the  fidelity  of  his  descriptions, 
his  interesting  representations  of  the  manners  of  birds,  and  the  talents 
for  observation  and  delineation  which  are  displayed  in  every  part  of  his 
elaborate  work,  justty  place  it  in  the  first  rank  of  writings  on  natural 
history.  Although  he  has  done  so  much,  yet  the  subject  is  by  no  means 
exhausted.  (18)  There  are  doubts  on  many  points,  which  one  would 
think  ought  Ions;  since  to  have  been  settled.  (19)  But  the  most  interest- 
ing part  of  ornithology  is  the  migration  of  birds.  There  are  some  that 
stay  with  us  the  wtiole  year  ;  there  are  others  that  visit  us  regularly  ;  and 
there  are  several  that  visit  us  occasionally,  or  accidentally ;  which  are 
driven  by  storms  on  our  coast,  by  famine  from  their  usual  country,  by  ex- 
cessive heat  from  the  south,  or  excessive  cold  from  the  north ;  or  by  some 
cause  unknown  to  us.  All  these  birds  ought  to  be  carefully  noted,  and 
accurately  distinguished.  Strange  birds  are  frequently  seen  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  ocean  after  a  storm.  Several  years  ago  a  large  flock  of  paro- 
quets was  observed  twenty-five  miles  to  the  northwest  of  Albany.  I  am 
credibly  informed  that  the  last  ravages  of  the  canker  worm  on  the  west 
side  of  Long  Island  were  arrested  by  a  strange  bird  (called  by  the  farmers 
the  canker-worm-bird)  never  seen  before  nor  since,  and  which  devoured 
that  destructive  vermin  with  great  voracity.  There  arc  birds  that  some- 

*F.  Adrian  Vanderkemp. 


INTRODUCTbRY  DISCOURSE.  29 

times  stay  with  us  the  whole  year,  and  at  other  times  depart  :  this  de- 
pends upon  the  mildness  of  the  weather,  and  the  quantity  of  food.  With 
the  ancients,  husbandry  was  regulated  by  the  appearance  of  particular 
birds ;  and  calendars  of  Flora  have  been  kept  in  different  parts  of  Europe, 
embracing  this  and  other  objects  which  are  calculated  to  be  highly  use- 
ful. I  do  not  know  that  any  calendar  of  this  kind  lias  been  made  in  this 
state  ;  but  any  person  possessed  of  any  talent  for  observation  might  .easily 
compile  one  ;  which,  in  order  to  be  complete,  ought  to  contain  an  ac- 
count of  the  leafing  and  flowering  of  plants  and  trees,  the  progress  of  vege- 
tation, the  departure  and  return  of  bjrds,  and  correct  meteorological  ob- 
servations. 

When  on  this  subject  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  draw  your  atten- 
tion to  a  very  striking  difference  between  the  country  east  and  west 
of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  this  state,  which  is  to  be  observed 
very  distinctly  in  relation  to  birds,  plants  and  quadrupeds,  and  which  for- 
merly applied  to  the  aborigines.  At  the  first  settlement  by  europeans, 
the  indian  population  was  greater  on  the  west  than  on  the  east  side  of  the 
mountains.  I  have  seen  that  beautiful  bird,  the  lozia  cardinalis,  in  our 
western  country  ;  and  I  believe  it  never  appears  here  :  there  are  other 
birds  that  follow  the  cultivation  of  the  country  from  the  east:  this  is  the 
case  with  the  crow  ;(20)  in  some  of  the  western  parts  of  our  country  he 
is  not  to  be  observed ;  the  raven  supplies  his  place  :  and  it  is  conjectured 
that  several  of  the  migrating  birds  come  up  on  our  side  of  the  mountains 
and  return  on  the  west.  There  are  several  trees  and  plants  in  that  part  of 
the  state  which  do  not  grow  in  this.  There  seem  to  be  two  races  of  squir- 
rels :  in  the  west  they  are  black,  in  the  east  they  are  gray  ;  and  while  ma- 
ny wild  animals  have  left  us,  the  great  hare  of  the  north  is  extending  his 
excursions  in  a  southern  direction. (21) 

On  the  approach  of  cold  weather  the  birds,  as  if  actuated  by  an  intelli- 
gent principle,  prepare  for  their  departure.  Some  of  them  retire  in  the 
night,  or  ascend  so  high  that  their  flight  is  not  observed  ;  while  others  ap- 
pear in  full  view  and  attract  not  only  the  notice  of  the  naturalist,  but  be- 
came the  subject  of  poetical  description. 

Milton  thus  speaks  of  the  migration  of  cranes  : 

"  Part  loosely  wing  the  region,  part  more  wise 

In  comraqn,  ranged  in  figure  wedge  their  way, 

Intelligent  of  seasons,  and  set  forth 

Their  airy  caravan,  high  orer  seas 

Flying  and  over  lands,  with  mutual  wing 

Easing  their  flight :  so  steers  the  pruden'  crane 

Her  annual  voyage,  borne  on  winds ;  the  air 

Floats  as  they  pass,  fann'd  with  unnumber'd  plumes." 
PARADISI  LOST. 

And  Tasso,  in  like  manner,  says, 

With  such  a  sound  the  cranes  embodied  fij 
From  thracian  shores  to  seek  a  warmer  sky, 


30  CLINTON'S 

With  norse  they  cut  the  clouds,  and  leave  behind 
The  wintry  tempest  and  the  freezing  wind." 
TASSO,  v.  2.  b.  20. (22) 

The  secret  departure  of  many  species  of  birds  has  introduced  much 
(able  into  ornithology.  It  is  time  that  the  submersion  of  swallows,  and 
the  fascination  of  serpents,  should  be  banished  from  our  natural,  and  the 
welsh  nations  of  Indians  from  our  civil,  history.  In  the  midst  of  winter, 
when  occasional  mild  weather  occurs,  birds  that  were  supposed  to  have 
left  the  country  suddenly  reappear.  This  has  induced  a  belief  that  many 
of  them  remain  in  a  torpid  state  duriflg  the  winter,  in  the  fissures  of  rocks, 
or  in  hollow  trees ;  all  these  indications  ought  to  be  carefully  watched. 
Bufibn  says,  that  of  three  hundred  species  of  quadrupeds,  and  one  thou- 
sand fire  hundred  of  birds,  man  has  selected  but  nineteen  or  twenty  ;  and 
that  only  nine  species  of  biros  have  been  domesticated.  He  is  greatly 
mistaken  in  the  number  of  species,  although  he  is  nearly  right  in  other 
respects. (23)  The  list  of  useful  domestic  birds  may  be  greatly  increased. 
The  Canada  goose  and  the  turkey,  it  is  believed,  have  been  added  by 
America. :  the  black  duck,  brant,  wood  duck,  and  prairie  hen,  have,  in 
many  instances,  been  tamed  ;  and  \vhy  might  not  teal  and  grouse  be  also 
domesticated  ?  Our  stock  of  domestic  fowl  might  also  be  increased  by 
the  peruvian  hen  and  the  boco  or  cnrasso  of  South  America ;  which  is 
about  the  size  of  a  turkey  ?  the  flesh  of  both  is  much  esteemed  ;  and  why 
might  not  our  useful  wild  birds  be  augmented  by  importing  from  Europe 
the  red-1  paged  partridge,  and  the  pheasant :  it  is  supposed  that  pheasants 
were  brought  into  Europe  by  the  Argonauts,  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  before  the  Christian  era,  from  the  banks  of  the  Phasis  a  river 
in  Colchis  in  Asia  Minor.(24) 

Our  ichthyology  has  received  little  attention.  Dr.  Mitchill,  to  whom 
science  is  greatly  indebted,  has  recently  published  a  small  work  on  the 
fishes  of  New- York,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  will  continue  his  useful 
labours. (25)  The  migration  of  fishes  is  as  curious  an  object  of  inquiry  as 
that  of  birds.  The  anadromous  fish  affords,  particularly,  great  scope  for 
observation.  It  is  true  that  while  the  herrings  ascend  on  one  side  of  the 
Hudson  above  Albany,  that  the  siiad  proceed  on  the  other  ?(26)  Our  great 
lakes,  and  the  streams  which  run  into  them,  present  a  wide  field  for  re- 
mark :  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  there  are  in  the  lakes  fishes  correspond- 
ing in  appearance  with  those  in  the  sea:  the  sheep's  head,  the  sturgeon, 
and  the  bass,  may  be  mentioned  as  instances.  It  has  been  judged  very 
difficult  to  discover  how  sturgeon  get  into  Lake  Erie,  on  account  of  the 
Falls  of  Niagara ;  and  it  is  said  that  a  freuch  governor  had  some  conveyed 
into  it  from  Lake  Ontario ;  but  it  is  very  easy  to  account  for  it  in  another 
way:  the  Illinois  river  frequently  communicates,  in  spring  and  autumn, 
with  the  Chicago  creek  which  discharges  itself  into  Lake  Michigan. (27) 

The  production  and  migration  of  eels  have  puzzled  naturalists.    The 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  31 

laws  which  govern  this  fish  are  peculiar  :  the  eel  goes  to  the  sea  for  pro- 
duction, and  the  young  ones  attain  their  growth  and  maturity  in  tresh 
water. 

The  mildains  and  other  artificial  obstacles  in  rivers  against  the  ascent 
of  anadromous  fishes  have,  in  some  places,  entirely  expelled  them  ;  and 
in  others  diminished  their  number.  The  salmon,  if  we  may  credit  the 
account  of  Hudson's  voyage,  formerly  visited  this  river :  he  is  now  an 
entire  stranger,  and  he  is  retiring  very  rapidly  from  the  Connecticut  river 
and  from  several  streams  that  flow  into  the  western  lakes.(28)  The  dis- 
appearance of  fish  for  years,  as  for  instance  the  lobster  during  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  and  sometimes  the  visits  of  strange  fish,  are  circumst  mces 
deserving  of  observation.  The  best  mode  of  multiplying  and  preserving 
shellfish  would  be  a  subject  useful  to  investigate ;  and  why  might  we  not 
increase  our  fre^h-water  fish  by  importing  the  carp  aiid  tench  for  propa- 
gation, as  was  formerly  done  in  Great  Britain  1(29} 

The  Linnoean  classes  of  amphibia,  vermes,  and  insects,  hare  been 
almost  entirely  overlooked ;  and  yet  what  an  immense  field  for  inquiry 
do  they  present  ?  There  are,  it  is  estimated,  twenty  thousand  species 
of  insects;  twenty  species  feed  on  the  apple  tree  alone,  seventeen  of 
which  are  phala?nas  (millers.)  There  are  seventy-five  species  of  the 
aphis  (plant  louse,)  so  destructive  to  vegetation.  The  ravages  of  the 
weavil,  hessiau  fly,  canker  worm,  palmer  worm,  grass  worm,  and  rose 
bug,  are  incalculably  injurious.  Dr.  Barton  has  intimated  t!  .it  several 
of  our  animals  supposed  to  be  indigenous  may  be  of  european  origin.  0) 
Be  this  as  it  may  ;  we  know  that  noxious  insects  of  native  origin,  migrate 
from  native  to  naturalized  vegetables  as  they  furnish  more  abundant  or 
agreeable  food.  Different  preventives  and  remedies  have  been  pre- 
scribed for  their  depredations,  but  it  still  remains  to  discover  rfft'?:ual 
ones.  Silk  worms  are  cultivated  with  great  success  in  some  parts  of  the 
country,  and  excellent  silk  is  made.  It  has  been  disputed  whether  the 
apis  mellifica,  or  honey  bee,  has  not  been  imported  into  America  1  Jef- 
ferson and  Barton  say  it  has;  Belkuap  has  taken  opposite  ground.  O«ie 
would  suppose  that  Cortez  had  settled  this  question  in  his  letters  to  the 
emperor  Charles  V.,  which  describe  all  the  commodities  vended  in  the 
great  market  of  Mexico,  where,  he  says,  "  There  is  soid  honey  of  bees 
and  wax  :  honey  from  the  stalks  of  maize  which  are  as  sweet  as  sugar, 
and  honey  from  a  shrub  called  by  the  people  maguey."  Lewis  and 
Clarke,  in  their  journey  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  did  not  observe  the  honey 
bee  after  they  left  the  Osage  indians.(31) 

Our  ophiology  is,  of  course,  of  a  very  limited  range.  We  have  be- 
twpon  thirty  and  forty  species  of  serpents ;  the  most  remarkabl"  one, 
the  rattlesnake,  crotalus  horridus,  not  being  able  to  exist  in  the  vicinity 
of  swine,  has  fled  from  the  Cultivated  ;  ou;.'ry.  h  ;*  tr  ;  f  i»<i  appre- 
hension of  danger,  the  young  retreat  rate  the  mouth  of  the  mother  for 
mfetv  ?(32) 


32  CLINTON'S 

But  it  is  time  to  stop  these  intimations,  already  too  desultory  and 
minute  ;  and  we  shall  make  a  few  general  observations  which  are  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  flourishing  condition  of  natural  knowledge. 

1.  The  establishment  and  encouragement  of  cabinets  of  natural  history 
are  essential  to  the  promotion  of  this  interesting  science.     Soudder's 
.Museum  iu  tills  city  and  J Vale's  in  Philadelphia,  are  invaluable  institu- 
tions deserving  private  and  public  patronage. 

2.  Statistical  inquiries  ought  to  be  prepared  and  circulated  in  every 
town  ;  eliciting  information  on  every  subject  connected  with  the  natural 
history,  geography,  agriculture,  commerce,  and  manufactures  of  the  state. 
An  excellent  specimen  of  statistical  questions  may  be  seen  in  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  of  Connecticut.  Dr.  Dwight's 
account  of  New-Haven  is  a  model  for  writers,  on  this  interesting  branch 
of  knowledge,  to  imitate. 

3.  Inquiries  ought  to  be  prepared  and  transmitted  to  different  parts  of 
the  world,  with  a  view  of  obtaining  intelligence  on  ail  important  subjects 
relative  to  science  and  literature.     Specimens  of  this  mode  of  accumula- 
ting useful  facts  may  be  found  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society 
•f  London  :  That  learned  body  adopted  this  plan  at  their  first  establish- 
ment.    Our  Agricultural  Society,  in  1793,  proposed  to  the  chamber  of 
commerce  that  standing  instructions  should  be  given  by  the  merchants 
to  the  captains  of  vessels  sailing  to  Africa,  Asia,  and  the  north  of  Europe, 
and  the  southern  and  western  parts  of  America,  to  collect  information 
respecting  husbandry  ;  and  the  chamber  of  commerce  recommended  the 
measure ;  but  it  is  believed  that  no  beneficial  result  has  accrued. 

4.  Men  of  observation  and  science  ought  to  be  employed  to  explore 
or.r  country  with  a  view  to  its  geology,  mineralogy,  botany,  zoology,  and 
agriculture.     They  ought  not  only  to  examine  with  their  own  eyes,  but 
to  avail  themselves  of  local  information  to  be  derived  from  intelligent 
men  in  every  part  of  the  state.     By  these  means  a  mass  of  valuable  and 
authentic  information  may  be  obtained  which  can,  iu  most  cases,  be 
acquired  in  no  other  way. 

The  celebrated  Linnaeus  often  expressed  a  wish  to  visit  America,  in 
order  to  explore  its  vegetable  productions.  His  disciple,  Kalm,  travelled 
through  this  country  in  1748,  for  that  purpose.  Since  the  revolutionary 
war  several  european  princes  have  sent  scientific  men  here  to  make  col- 
lections and  observations  on  our  natural  history.  The  Michaux,  father 
and  son,  have  thrown  great  light  upon  our  botany  by  their  inestimable 
labours.  The  elder  of  them  published  a  treatise  on  the  oaks  of  America, 
wherein  he  describes  twenty-nine,  species  and  varieties :  the  younger, 
who,  with  much  ability,  edited  and  published,  in  18€3,  the  Flora  Boreaii 
Americana,  chiefly  the  result  of  his  father'*  investigations,  has  also  lately 
completed,  at  Paris,  the  Histoire  des  Arbrr-s  Forestiers  de  L'Ameriqiie 
Septentrionale,  in  three  volumes.  In  this  work  F.  Andre  Michaux  has 
considered  our  forest  trees  more  particularly  as  subsf  rvient  to  commerce 
aad  the  arts.  The  respective  performance*  of  these  distinguished  and 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  33 

enterprising  botanists,  may  justly  be  considered  as  among  the  most  im- 
portant contribntions  which  the  natural  history  of  North  America  has 
received.  The  Botanical  garden  established  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city 
by  dr.  Hosaek,  contaias  seven  hundred  and  thirty-three  genera,  and  two 
thousand  four  hundred  species  of  plants :  it  was  purchased  by  the  state 
ia  1810,  and  recently  presented  to  Columbia  college  :  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  this  valuable  institution  will  prosper  under  its  new  proprietors,  and 
that  a  profes«orship  of  botany  will  be  connected  with  it.  Dr.  Muhlen- 
burg  of  Lancaster,  an  eminent  botanist,  has  lately  published  an  account 
of  the  native  and  naturalized  plants  of  America  according  to  the  Linnaean 
system  ;  which  includes  eight  hundred  and  sixty-three  genera,  and  their 
corresponding  species. 

It  has  already  become  difficult  to  discriminate  between  our  native  and 
naturalized  plants;  with  the  progress  of  time  the  difficulty  will  increase, 
and  it  ought  to  be  removed  as  soon  as  possible.  From  the  vegetable 
kingdom  man  derives  his  principal  food  and  medicine,  and  it  administers 
to  his  wants  and  luxury  in  a  variety  of  shapes.  The  botanist  ought  to 
attend  to  the  substitution  of  indigenous  medicines,  of  equal  efficacy,  to 
those  imported;  and  also  to  the  discovery  of  others  whose  qualities  are 
no\v  unknown,  as  applicable  to  the  cure  of  diseases :  he  ought  also  to 
direct  his  attention  to  the  discovery  of  indigenous  esculents ;  and  of  arti- 
cles for  dying,  soap,  lights,  and  other  branches  of  domestic  economy. 
America  has  furnished  maize,  or  Indian  corn,  which  may  be  compared 
with  the  best  of  the  cereal  gramina  of  the  old  world  ;  she  has  also  origi- 
nated the  potato,  which  has  administered  more  to  human  subsistence 
than  any  other  production  whatever.  There  are  probably  other  undis- 
covered legumens  and  gramiua  which  may  essentially  contribute  to  the 
comfort  and  support  of  mankind.  It  is  said  that  there  is  a  natural  mea- 
dow of  vast  extent  in  the  Michigan  Territory,  which  abounds  with  wild 
potatoes  and  artichokes  ;  it  would  certainly  be  worth  while  to  ascertain 
whether  they  are  the  real  solanum  tuberosum,  and  helianthus  tubero- 
sus.(32)  All  the  indians  of  the  northwest  have,  according  to  Pike,  A 
species  of  wild  oats  for  their  only  farinaceous  food :  we  would  rather 
suppose  it  to  fee  a  species  of  rice,  as  it  is  an  aquatic  plant ;  and  if  each 
stalk  produces,  as  it  is  stated,  half  a  pint  of  grain,  it  is  undoubtedly  au 
object  deserving  of  attention.(33)  Lewi.-?  and  Clarke  have  pointed  out 
several  vegetables  unknown  to  us,  which  the  indians  use.  These  and 
many  other  sources  of  inquiry  are  open  to  us.  The  discovery  of  a  new 
plant  gives  celebrity  to  a  botanist ;  and,  if  useful  to  mankind,  his  fame  is 
immeasureably  enlarged.  Before  I  conclude  this  subject,  permit  roe  to 
inquire  whether  the  cypripedium  bulbosum  has  ever  been  seen  in  this 
country  ?  I  ask  this  question,  because  Acerbi,  in  his  Travels,  has  made 
the  following  observations  respecting  it : 

"  To  mr.  Cnstrien  science  is  indebted  for  the  discovery  of  a  fa- 

E 


84  CLINTON'S 

metis  plant,  viz.  cypripedium  buibosum,  which  was  at  first  seen  by 
Urn! beck  in  1685,  but  had  never  been  found  since  by  aiu  botanist; 
nt)t  even  by  the  great  Linnaeus,  who  passed  this  way  in  July,  and, 
consequently  a  month  after  it  bad  been  in  flower.  This  plant  skulks 
among  the  underwoods  and  firs  which  surround  the  church  of  Kemi.  1^ 
modestly  eludes  the  prying  eyes  of  the  passenger,  and  loves  the  temper- 
ate enjoyment  of  the  sun's  rays,  which  can  only  reach  it  by  insinuating 
themselves  between  the  branches  of  the  bushes  that  oversha.de  it.  Dr- 
Smith,  president  of  the  Linnseaii  Society,  has  given  us  a  coloured  figure 
of  it  exuemely  accurate  and  lively,  which  the  reader  may  see  and  ad- 
mire, in  his  collection  of  rare  plants.  This  is  one  of  the  rarest  as  well  as 
most  beau tmd  productions  of  the  north  ;  it  is  indigenous  in  the  parish 
of  Kemi.  Hitherto  ii  has  been  discovered  nowhere  else  except,  as  I 
have  been  informed  in  North  America."* 

Adequate  and  satisfactory  notices  of  our  husbandry  would  occupy  too 
much  time.  Our  attention  ought  to  be  drawn  to  supplies  of  the  best 
and  most  powerful  manures.  As  gypsum  has  no  influence  i>i  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  sea,  it  is  a  great  desideratum  to  find  a  substitute  equally 
efficient  for  the  Atlantic  parts  of  the  state*  Fish,  peat,  sea- weed,  street 
dirt,  calcined  pyrites,  lime,  ashes,  and  marl,  have  been  all  recommend- 
ed :  and  some  of  them  have  been  tried  with  great  success.  The  dyk- 
ing of  salt  meadows  and  marshes,  and  thereby  creating  excellent  land 
for  tillage  and  grass,  and  the  irrigation  of  lands,  would  be  very  advanta-. 
geous ;  and  they  have  not  been  practised  with  us  except  in  a  few  solitary 
cases;  Several  plans  for  a  rotation  of  crops  have  been  proposed,  but 
have  not  been  attended  to  in  a  manner  due  to  their  importance.  The 
failure  of  wood  not  only  requires  some  beneficial  system  for  replenishing 
our  forests,  but  for  accommodating  the  farmer  with  substantial  fences  : 
hedges  of  whitethorn  or  hawthorn  may  answer  a  valuable  purpose ;  and 
it  is  believed  that  there  are  three  species  with  ns  ;  two  native  and  one 
imported  from  Great  Britain.  Of  all  the  cnlmiferous  plants,  wheat  con- 
tains the  heaviest  grain,  and  it  is  certainly  the  most  important  of  the 
cerealia  ;  it  is  our  great  staple  commodity  ;  and  the  utmost  care  ought 
to  be  taken  in  perfecting  and  protecting  it  against  the  injuries  which  it 
receives  from  various  sources.  The  selection  of  the  best  kind  for  seed 
is  a  great  object,  there  being  several  species  ;  red,  white,  yellow,  bald, 
bearded,  summer,  and  winter.  It  is  obnoxious  to  injury  from  cockle, 
drips,  sorrel,  commixture  of  rye,  smut,  the  weavil,  the  hessian  fly,  blast, 
and  mildew.  The  cause  of  mildew  is  unknown ;  the  blast  sometimes 
arises  from  the  effluvia  of  barbary  bushes,  but  generally  from  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  grain  in  June.  The  origin  of  the  hessian  fly,  and  the 
best  remedy  against  its  depredations,  are  subjects  about  which  there  is  a 
contrariety  of  opinion. (34)  Particular  attention  ought  also  to  be  devoted 
to  the  selection  of  the  best  grasses.  Lucern,  sainfoin,  esparcet,  and 

*  Aeerbi'a  Travels  f.hrouj:ii  Sweden,  &c.  vol.    1.  p.  340. 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  35 

pimpernel,  foreign  and  perennial  grasses,  have  been  mentioned  as  highly 
useful.  Red  clover  and  timothy  are  also  exotics  :  but  white  clover  is  a 
native  pi  int,  and  invariably  follows  cultivation.  The  avt-ua  eh- tier,  or 
tall  mt  adow  oats,  was  imported  some  years  ago  into  Pennsylvania  by 
dr.  Muhlenburg;  and  is  recommended  as  the  best  grass  for  green  i'odder 
and  hay.  The  festuca  ovina,  or  sheep's  test-lie,  is  preferred  in  Sweden 
to  all  others  for  sheep.  Gnir  lin  say*,  that  the  tartars  fix  their  tents 
dnring  the  summer  in  those  places  where  there  is  the  greatest  plenty  of 
thi  •  irass.  and  that  the  sepulchral  monuments  of  the  ancient  tartars  are 
mnstfv  found  where  it  abounds ;  which  shows  that  it  has  been  long 
valued  by  them.  Stillingfleet  says  that  it  is  found  in  abundance  in 
many  parts  of  England  and  Wales.  In  the  Hortus  Elginensis,  published 
by  a  distinguished  botanist,*  it  is  mentioned  as  being  in  that  esLvblish- 
tn^nt ;  and  as  a  hardy  perennial  plant :  it  is  a  vernal  grass,  and  not  a 
native  of  this  country  :  I  have  mentioned  it  thus  particularly  because  it 
is  so  important  a  nutriment  to  sheep,  of  which  it  is  believed  we  have 
nearly  two  millions  in  this  state.  Wonderful  qualities  are  ascribed  to 
th^  Guinea  grass  in  Jamaica,  and  the  fiorin  f  is  highly  commended  as 
surpassing  all  the  grasses  in  its  nutritious  powers.  (35)  In  selecting 
the  best  foreign  grasses  for  cultivation,  we  ought  not  to  be  unmindful  ef 
the* •?  which  nature  has  provided  us  at  home.  In  the  western  parts  of 
this  state  there  are  several  native  grasses  deserving  of  attention. 
One -kind,  called  the  winter  grass,  resists  the  effects  of  frost;  and  when 
the  snow  leaves  the  ground  in  the  spring,  furnishes  nourishing  pasture. 
Another  species  is  stated  to  resist  a  dry  season,  and  to  be  in  full  verdure 
when  all  other  plants  are  perishing  with  drought.  A  perennial  plant, 
called  the  wild  pea,  is  said  to  be  superior  to  clover  as  fodder  ;  to  which 
it  is  not  only  preferred  as  nourishment,  but  it  has  this  advantage  ;  that 
the  stock  is  not  so  brittle,  nor  are  the  leaves  sr.  apt  to  pulverise.  There 
is  a  highly  aromatic  plant,  collected  by  the  Indians  in  small  quantities, 
called  the  Seneca  grass. J(3/>)  When  ®n  this  subject  it  is  proper  to  state, 
that  there  are  certain  plants  which  are  pernicious  to  some  kinds  of  cat- 
tle aod  not  to  others  •  for  instance,  the  meadow-sweet  §  wastes  away 
the  cow  but  is  beneficial  to  the  goat :  the  long-leaved  water  hunlnck 
will  destroy  a  cow,  whereas  the  goat  browses  on  it  greedily  ,  monk's 
hood  kills  the  goat,  but  will  not  hurt  a  horse  ;  the  andromeda,  or  dwaft 
laurel,  is  very  fatal  to  sheep  ;  and  so  is  the  kalmia  latifolia,  which  is  de- 
voured with  avidity  by  deer. 

Greater  attention  ought  to  be  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  our  fruit  ;  and 
to  the  destruction  of  those  noxious  insects  and  worms  which  have,  with- 
in a  few  years,  injured  it  beyond  measure.  Our  soil  and  climate  are  ad- 
mirably adapted  for  some  of  the  most  delicious  fruits.  The  Spitzenb°rgh 
apple  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  accidentally  in  the  vicinity  of  AI- 

*  Dr.  Hosack.     f  AgrostU  Stolonifcra.      { Holcus  Fragrans.      §  Spinsa  Ulmaria. 


36  CLINTON'S 

bany  ;  arid  it  is  only  rivalled  by  the  Newtown  pippin,  whose  excellence 
is  ;•  iso,  probably,  of  local  origin  and  which  reminds  as  of  the  malum 
ai'ivum  of  the  aiicients.  We  ought,  ako,  to  be  particularly  attentive 
to  the  introduction  and  naturalization  of  the  best  foreign  fruits ;  and 
the  importance  of  this  will  be  duly  appreciated  when  we  consider  the 
origin  of  those  which  are  now  most  esteemed.  The  cherry  and  filbert 
are  from  Pontus ;  the  apricot  from  Epire  :  the-  peach  from  Persia  :  the 
citron  from  Media  ;  the  pomegranite  from  Carthage  ;  the  quince  from 
Cathonea  ;  the  plum  from  Damascus ;  the  best  pears  from  Alexandria  ; 
and  the  olive  and  fig  from  Greece.(36) 

It  would  certainly  not  become  me  to  point  out  the  desiderata  in  med- 
ical knowledge.  This  country  was  never  blessed  with  a  more  splendid 
list  of  medical  names,  than  those  which  now  occupy  the  walks  of  this 
profession;  but  I  will  surely  be  indulged  in  soliciting  their  attention  to 
two  subjects  intimately  connected  with  the  public  health,  and  the  happi- 
ness of  thousands. 

The  consumption  is  the  most  destructive  disease  in  the  northern 
states.  One  ninth  of  the  deaths  in  New-Haven  are  occasioned  by  it. 
According  to  the  bills  of  mortality  of  1813,  out  of  seven  hundred  and 
eighty-six  deaths  in  Boston,  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  were  caused 
by  the  consumption;  out  of  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-one 
deaths  in  Philadelphia,  two  hundred  and  sixteen  ;  and  out  of  two  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  ninety-nine  deaths  in  New-York,  five  hundred  and 
sixty-two.  Is  there  no  way  of  preventing  or  curing  this  disease?  must 
those  labouring  under  pulmonary  complaints  be  invariably  driven  to 
southern  climes  for  relief?  the  physician  who  discovers  an  effica- 
cious remedy  for  this  terrible  malady  will  have  his  name  enrolled 
among  the  benefactors  of  the  human  race :  it  now  exists  the  opprobrium 
iriedicorum;  and  sweeps  into  the  grave,  with  unsparing  fury,  genius 
youth,  and  beauty; — all  that  can  adorn,  embellish,  and  illuminate 
society.  (37) 

Who  does  not  recollect  the  terror  and  mortality  which  invariably  ac- 
company that  horrible  pestilence  denominated  the  yellow  fever  ?  Under 
its  iron  reign  we  see  persons  fleeing  from  their  homes  in  all  directions, 
the  insignia  of  death  in  every  street,  and  the  grave  continually  open  to 
receive  its  miserable  victims. 

In  this  awful  hour, 

"  Mussabat  tacito  medicina  timore." 


"  In  silence  dread, 


Appali'd  and  doubtful,  mused  the  healing  art.' 

LUCRETIUS. 


And  yet  what  clouds  and  darkness  rest  over  the  origin,  nature,  and 
cure  of  this  pestilence.    Whether  it  comes  to  us  from  abroad,  or  origi- 


INTRODUCTORY  DISCOURSE.  37 

nates  at  home  ?  whether  it  is  contagious  or  not  ?  are  questions  solemnly 
debated  by  the  profession,  and  treatises  of  much  learning  and  inge- 
nuity have  been  written  on  both  sides. (38)  It  is  stated  by  Humboldt 
that  a  plague,  called  the  matlazahuatl,  prevails  about  once  in  a  century 
among  the  indian  race  in  Mexico  ;  that  in  1545  eight  hundred  thousand 
died  of  it,  and  in  1576  two  millions  ;  and  that  it  never  attacks  white 
people.  Can  this  be  the  disease  which  swept  off  whole  nations  of  our 
northern  Indians  before  the  european  settlement  of  this  country  ?  and 
•  if  it  be  true  that  the  yellow  fever,  as  is  alleged,  seldom  if  ever  attacks 
the  mexican  indians  here  is  a  very  extraordinary  field  open  for  investiga- 
tion. 

It  would  be  a  gigantic  work  to  point  out  those  subjects  of  investiga- 
tion applicable  to  political  science,  and  which  demand  attention  from 
their  peculiar  application  to  this  country  or  from  their  general  impor- 
tance. Let  me  glance  at  a  few.  How  far  a  representative  government 
upon  the  federal  principle  may  be  extended ;  the  extent  of  judicial 
independence  ;  the  arrangement  of  the  elective  franchise  ;  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  executive  power ;  the  establishment  of  a  veto,  or  qualified 
negative  ;  the  institution  of  an  executive  council ;  the  organization  of 
the  appointing  power ;  and  the  constitutional  rotation  of  office.  If  we 
are  astonished  to  find  these  principles  in  government  so  unsettled  and  so 
much  afloat,  we  are  equally  surprised  to  learn  that  the  very  elements  oi 
political  economy  are  still  unknown  or  controverted.  There  is,  in  fact, 
much  abstruse  investigation,  and  much  metaphysical  subtlety  in  this 
science ;  and,  perhaps,  more  terra  incognita  than  in  any  other  of  equal 
importance.  A  mere  hint  at  a  few  points  will  sufficiently  illustrate  this 
proposition. 

The  following  among  others,  are  still  subjects  of  speculation  and  con- 
troversy :  what  is  national  wealth  ?  the  means  of  producing  it  ?  the 
influence  or  action  of  the  generating  causes  ?  their  immediate  or  distant 
effects  ?  their  apparent  or  actual  results  •?  the  different  ramifications  of 
the  sources  of  wealth;  such  as  labour,  capital,  the  circulation  of  com- 
modities or  commerce  ?  and  the  revenue  or  consumption  ?  the  source  of 
wealth  ;  whether  in  labour,  foreign  commerce,  land,  or  capital  stock  ?  in 
what  capital  consists  ?  the  nature  of  money  ?  the  proportion  which  the 
circulating  money  of  a  country  bears  to  the  whole  value  «f  the  annual 
produce  circulated  by  it  ?  whether  labour  is  the  standard  of  value,  and 
whether  there  is  au  immutable  standard  measure  of  value  ?  whether 
agricultural  labour  is  exclusively  productive  or  most  productive  ? 
and  perhaps  the  most  controverted  subject  of  political  economy  is, 
whether  the  home  of  foreign  commerce  is  most  productive  of  nation- 
al wealth. 

I  am  persuaded  that  sufficient  has  been  said  to  show  that  this  institu- 
tion embraces  the  most  important  objects  of  investigation ;  deeply,  in- 
timately, essentially,  and  extensively  connected  with  the  best  interests 
of  science,  the  prosperity  of  our  country,  aiid  the  dignity  of  man. 


38  CLINTON'S  &e. 

It  now  remains  that  we  should  perform  faithfully,  what  we  have  under- 
taken voluntarily.  The  harvest  is  great,  and  the  labourers  are 
few.  The  cultivation  of  knowledge,  like  the  cultivation  of  virtue,  is  its 
own  reward. 


".'Speak  ye  the  pure  delight,  whose  favour'd  steps 

The  lamp  of  science  through  the  jealous  maze 

Of  nature  guide?,  when  haply  you  reveal 

Her  secret  honours,  whether  in  the  sky, 

The  beauteous  laws  of  light,  the  central  powers, 

That  wheel  the  pensile  planets  round  the  year, 

Whether  in  wonders  of  the  rolling  deep, 

Or  the  rich  fruits  of  all-sustaining  earth, 

Or  fine- adjusted  springs  of  life  and  sense, 

Ye  scan  the  counsels  of  their  author's  hand." 

PLKASUKES  OF  IMAGINATION,  b.  2. 


History  and  observation  justify  the  remark  that  while  the  movements 
of  conquest  have  been  from  the  north  to  the  south,  and  the  course,  of 
the  precious  metals  from  the  west  to  the  east  ;  that  the  progress  of  the 
ocean  and  of  the  atmosphere,  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  of  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  human  species,  has  been  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun  : 
and,  according  to  the  uniform  experience  of  mankind,  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  our  country  will  be  the  chosen  seat,  and  favourite 
abode,  of  learning  and  science.  May  this  association  be  a  humble  instru- 
ment in  paving  the  way  for  this  sublime  result  ;  and  may  posterity  describe 
its  origin,  its  progress,  and  its  maturity,  by  adopting,  with  a  small  varia- 
tion, the  language  of  the  roman  bard  : 

"  Mobilitate  viget,  viresque  acqnirit  enndo  r 
Parva  inetu  primo;  mox  sese  attollit  in  auras, 
Ingrediturque  solo,  et  caput  inter  nubila  condit." 

lib.  iv. 


It  grew  strong  by  exertion,  and  acquired  strength  in  its  progress  :  small 
at  first,  through  diffidence,  it  soon  sprung  up  into  the  sky,  spread  over  the 
earth,  and  hid  its  towering  head  in  the  heavens. 


NOTES 


A  KB 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NOTE  1. 

I  have  scarcely  thought  it  worth  while  to  refer  to  the  book  of  M.  De  Paw,  * 
Prussian,  wherein  he  has  copied  the  calumnies  of  Buffon  against  America,  with 
-additions  and  embellishments.  This  work,  which  was  published  in  three 
volumes,  has  been  amply  refuted  by  don  Pernety,  aud  the  abbe  Claviger*. — 
As  a  specimen  of  his  accuracy  it  is  sufficient  to  state,  that  he  confidently  asserts 
that  dogs  suffer  so  much  under  the  deteriorating  influence  of  our  climate,  that 
they  lose  the  power  of  barking,  and  that  all  the  plants  of  Europe  have  degenera- 
ted in  America,  except  those  which  are  aquatic  and  succulent. 

If  any  person  is  desirous  of  seeing  the  essence  of  all  the  slanders  against  the 
United  States,  invented  and  propagated  by  ignorant  and  insignificant  tourists, 
let  him  look  at  the  eleventh  article  of  the  twentieth  number  of  the  London 
Quarterly  Review ;  purporting  to  be  a  review  of  Inchiquin  the  Jesuit's  Letters  j 
but,  iu  fact,  an  impotent  effusion  of  malignity  against  our  country,  its  morals, 
manners,  intellect,  and  institutions.  This  diatribe  u  attributed  to  the  pen  of 
Southey  the  poet,  and  its  whole  force  depends  upon  the  liberal  use  of  that  com- 
monplace sophism  termed  a  false  induction.  From  a  few  particulars,  disparaging 
to  the  country,  he  lias  inferred  a  general  conclusion  to  its  disadvantage  :  upoa 
the  faults  of  the  few  he  predicates  the  vices  of  the  many.  Applying  the  same 
rule  of  judgment  to  himself,  it  would  be  easy  to  prove  him  the  most  wretched 
poetaster  in  Europe.  If  we  look  into  his  poems  we  will  find,  among  some  splendid 
effusions  of  genius,  the  most  miserable  conceits ;  and  if,  upon  the  selection  of 
those  offences  against  taste  and  good  writing,  we  were  to  pronounce  his  poetic*! 
character,  who  woold  not  condemn  oar  candour  as  well  M  our  logic  * 


40  NOTES   AND 

This  tissue  of  falsehood  and  scurrilous  invective,  states,  that  general 
ington  was  in  favour  of  a  monarchy ;  that  mr.  Jefferson  exercised  a  pernicious 
influence  over  mr.  Adams  :  that  Franklin  was  but  a  small  philosopher  ;  that 
Rittenhouse  was  an  englishman  ;  that  no  such  character  as  a  respectable  coun- 
try gentleman  is  known  in  America ;  that  it  is  Impossible  to  bring  a  thief  to  jus- 
tice, &c.  These  violations  of  truth  were  selected  as  we  casually  cast  our  eyes 
over  this  review,  and  they  are  brought  forward  as  specimens  of  the  whole  per- 
formance. The  authorities  to  which  the  writer  has  appealed  for  his  slander 
are  some  newspapers,  the  Works  of  William  Cobbett,  and  the  Travels  of  Jan 
sen,  Priest,  Ashe,  Wansey,  Weld,  Lambert,  and  Parkinson.  Scarcely  one  of 
these  had  any  pretensions  to  literature.  Aahe,  if  such  a  person  ever  existed, 
was,  in  all  probability,  never  in  this  country  ;  Priest  came  over  as  a  musical 
adventurer  ;  of  Parkinson  we  may  say,  in  the  words  of  Congreve,  "  Ferdinand 
Mendez  Pinto  was  but  a  type  of  thee,  thou  liarsof  the  first  magnitude."  The 
others,  under  a  more  decent  garb,  are  equally  regardless  of  truth.  The  cha- 
racter of  Cobbett  is  known  in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  this  country :  if  we  are  de- 
sirous of  attaining  truth  we  must  reverse  his  assertions.  Jansen  published  his 
book  in  a  quarto  form  in  London,  in  1807,  under  the  title  of  "  The  Stranger  in 
America,  by  Charles  William  Jansen,  late  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island,  Coun- 
seller  at  Law  :"  but  we  learn,  from  good  authority,  that  he  was  a  barber  in  that 
state.  It  abounds  with  offences  against  truth  and  considering  his  long  residence 
in  the  United  States,  exhibits  a  great  dearth  of  information,  and  a  great 
want  of  intelligence  :  take,  for  example,  an  extract  from  the  first  page  I  have 
opened :  "  Soon  after  mr.  Jefferson's  advancement  to  the  presidency,  the  tithes 
of  the  episcopal  clergy  were  entirely  abolished,  and  the  church  lands  soltl  for 
the  use  of  government ;  all  religious  sects  are,  therefore,  on  the  same  footing 
without  the  supremacy  or  limited  salaries." 

As  a  -conspicious  example  of  the  reviewer's  total  disregard  of  candour  and 
justice,  I  might  refer  particularly  to  his  unworthy  attack  upon  messrs.  Emmet, 
Sampson,  aud  M'Ncvin ;  whose  genius,  learning,  and  virtues,  would  reflect 
honour  on  any  country. 


NOTE  2. 

Governor  Burnet  was  a  man  of  extensive  reading  and  information.  He  wrote 
a  commentary  on  the  Apocalypse,  and  made  many  useful  astronomical  observa- 
tions. Swift's  Discourse  on  the  Mechanical  Operation  of  the  Spirit  was  suppo 
sed  to  be  addressed  to  governor  Hunter.  In  the  fifteenth  volume  of  Swift's 
Works  there  are  two  letters  from  the  dean  to  him.  In  the  first  epistle  Swift 
say?,  "  Sometimes  mr,  Addison  and  I  steal  to  a  pint  of  bad  wine,  and  wish  for 


ILLUSTRATION'S.  41 

no  third  person  but  you  ;  who,  if  you  were  with  us,  would  never  be  satisfied 
without  three  more."  In  the  second  letter  he  says,  "  I  am  very  much  obliged 
to  you  for  the  favour  of  a  kind  reproach  you  sent  me  in  a  letter  to  mr.  Addtson, 
which  he  never  told  me  of  till  this  day,  and  that  accidentally  ;  but  I  am  glad  at 
the  same  time  that  I  did  not  deserve  it,  having  sent  you  a  long  letter  in  return 
to  that  you  was  pleased  to  honour  me  with,  and  it  is  a  pity  it  should  be  lost ; 
for,  as  I  remember,  it  was  full  of  the  diei  fabulas,  and  surh  particularities  33 
usually  do  not  find  place  in  newspapers .*»  These  quotations  indicate  the  great 
intimacy  between  Hunter  and  those  distinguished  men. 

The  same  volume  contains  two  letters  from  Hunter  to  Swift,  dated  New- York 
1st  and  I4th  of  March,  1712  13,  both  breathing  great  discontent  and  uneasiness 
with  his  situation.  In  the  last  he  says,  "  Here  is  the  finest  air  to  live  upon  in 
the  universe,  and,  if  our  trees  and  birds  could  speak  and  our  assemblymen  be 
silent,  the  finest  conversation  too.  Fert  omnia  tellus  ;  but  not  for  me  ;  for  you 
must  undei"stand,  according  to  the  custom  of  our  country,  the  sachems  are  of  the 
poorest  of  the  people.  I  have  got  the  wrong  side  of  sir  Polidofe's  office  ;  a 
great  deal  to  do,  and  nothing  to  receive.  In  a  word,  and  to  be  serious  at  last,  1 
have  spent  three  years  of  life  in  such  torment  and  vexation  that  nothing  in  life 
can  ever  make  amends  for  it." 

Hunter  was  afterwards  appointed  governor  and  captain  general  of  Jamaica,  i/> 
''he  room  of  the  duke  of  Portland,  who  died  there  ir:  1 ' 


.NOTE  ?, 

'the  first  institution  in  the  United  States  established  as  a  repository  of  the 
native  vegetable  productions  of  this  country,  and  for  the  purpose  of  naturalizing 
such  foreign  plants  as  are  distinguished  by  their  utility  either  in  medicine, 
agriculture,  or  the  arts,  was  the  Elgin  Botanic  Garden,  founded  in  1801,  by 
dr.  David  Hosack,  at  that  time  Professor  of  Botany  and  Materia  Medica  in 
Columbia  College.  Tins  establishment  is  situated  about  three  miles  from  the 
-*ity  of  New-York,  on  the  middle  road  between  Bloomingdale  and  Kingsbridge. 
The  ground,  consisting  of  about  twenty  acres,  was  originally  purchased  of  the 
corporation  of  this  city.  The  view,  from  the  most  elevated,  part  is  variegated 
and  extensive  ;  and  the  soil  itself  of  that  diversified  nature  as  to  be 
particularly  arbrhv'  'n+he  cultivation  of  :\  -rreat  varVty  <*.f  vegetable  p. 


42  NOTES    AND 

Speaking  of  the  particular  situation  of  the  Botanic  Garden  of  this  state,  a 
british  writer,   in  the  London  Medical  and  Physical  Journal,  among  other   re 
marks,  has  the  following  : 

u  No  region  of  the  earth  seems  more  appropriate  to  the  improvement  of  bot- 
any, by  the  collecting  and  cultivating  of  plants,  than  that  where  the  Elgin 
Botanic  Garden  is  seated.  Nearly  midway  between  the  northern  and  south- 
ern extremities  of  the  vast  american  continent,  and  not  more  than  forty  degrees 
to  the  north  of  the  equator,  it  commands  resources  of  incalculable  extent  j  and 
the  european  botanist  wiil  look  to  it  for  additions  to  his  catalogue,  of  the  high- 
est interest.  The  indigenous  botany  of  America  possesses  most  important 
qualities ;  and  to  that,  we  trust,  professor  Hosack,  the  projector,  and,  indeed, 
the  creator,  of  this  garden,  will  particularly  turn  his  attention.  It  can  hardly 
be  considered  as  an  act  of  the  imagination,  so  far  does  what  has  already  been 
discovered  countenance  the  most  sanguine  expectations,  to  conjecture,  that  m 
the  unexplored  wilderness  of  mountain,  forest,  arid  marsh,  which  composes  so 
much  of  the  western  world,  lie  hidden  plants  of  extraordinary  forms  and  potent 
qualities." 

Soon  after  the  purchase,  the  proprietor,  at  a  very  considerable  expense,  had 
the  ground  cleared  and  put  in  a  state  of  cultivation,  arranged  in  a  manner  the 
best  adapted  to  the  different  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  planted  agreeably  to  the 
most  approved  style  of  ornamental  gardening.  A  conservatory  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  more  hardy  greenhouse  plants  was  also  built.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  1805  nearly  fifteen  hundred  species  of  american  plants,  beside  a  conside- 
rable number  of  rare  and  valuable  exotics,  were  in  cultivation  in  this  institution. 
In  1806  very  important  additions  were  made  to  this  collection  of  plants  from 
various  parts  of  Europe,  as  well  as  from  the  East  and  West  Indies.  A  second 
building  for  their  preservation  was  also  erected,  and  the  foundation  of  a 
third  was  laid,  which  was  completed  in  the  following  year.  In  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year,  1S06,  a  catalogue  of  the  plants,  both  native  and  exotic 
which  hail  been  already  collected,  and  which  amounted  to  nearly  two  thou- 
sand, was  published.  Since  that  time  the  Botanic  Garden  has  been  greatly 
improved.  The  buildings,  which  are  erected  on  the  most  recent  plan  adopted  in 
institutions  of  this  kind,  consist  of  three  large  and  well-constructed  houses, 
exhibiting!  a -front  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet.  The  greater  part  of  the 
ground  is  brought  in  a  state  of  the  highest  cultivation,  and  divided  into  various 
compartments,  calculated  for  the  instruction  of  the  student  of  botany  and 
medicine,  and  made,  subservient  to  agriculture  and  the  arts.  A  greater  part 
of  the  establishment  i?  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  forest  trees  and  shrubs,  and 
these  again  are  enclosed  by  a  stone  wall  two  and  a  half  feet  in  thick  Bej?v7 
3nd  seven  feet  in  height 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  43 

f  he  expense  requisite  to  effect  these  several  purposes  far  exceeding  the  calcu- 
lations the  proprietor  had  originally  formed,  and  being  desirous  of  perpetuating 
the  institution,,  he  was  induced  to  offer  the  whole  establishment  for  sale  to  the 
state.  An  almost  entire  unanimity  prevailing  among  the  medical  faculty  re- 
lative to  the  advantage  to  be  derived  from- an  institution  of  the  kind,  as"liighly 
necessary  to  complete  a  system  of  medical  instruction,  and  similar  sentiments 
being  entertained  by  many  others  who  felt  an  interest  in  the  literary  reputation 
of  the  state,  application  was  made  to  the  legislature  that  provision  might  be  ob- 
tained for  the  purchase  of  the  Botanic  Garden.  On  this  occasion  memorials 
were  presented  by  the  state  medical  society,  ti*e  medical  society  of  the  city  and 
county  of  New- York,  and  of  the  counties  of  Duchess,  Ulster,  Niagara,  Saratoga, 
Clinton,  &c.  by  the  corporation  of  the  city,  the  governors  of  the  New-York  Hos 
pital,  the  students  attending  the  medical  schools,  and  from  many  of  the  most 
respectable  inhabitants  of  this  city ;  and  the  zeal  manifested  upon  this  subject 
reflects  much  credit  upon  the  officers  and  members  of  these  respective  associa- 
tions. The  Botanic  Garden  accordingly  became  the  property  of  the  stite  of 
New  York,  by  an  act  of  their  legislature,  passed  on  the  12th  of  March,  1810. 
The  honourable  the  regents  of  the  university,  immediately  upon  this  purchase 
being  effected,  allotted  that  extensive  botanical  establishment  to  the  use  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  for  the  laudable  purpose  contemplated  by 
the  legislature.  The  late  proceedings  of  the  legislature,  in  relation  to  the  Bo- 
tanic Garden,  have  been  stated  elsewhere.  It  is  proper  to  add  that  the  enter- 
prising and  public- spirited  founder  of  this  institution,  dr.  Hosack,  in  1811,  pub- 
lished a  second  edition,  enlarged,  of  the  Hortus  Elgintnsis,  or  a  Catalogue  of 
l/i6  Plants,  indigenous  and  exotic,  cultivated  in  the  Elgin  Botanic  Garden, 
arranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and  embracing  the  generic  and  specific  names  of 
Linnaeus,  the  synonymes  of  various  authors,  the  popular  appellations  by  which 
they  are  known,  the  use  of  the  different  plants  in  medicine  and  the  arts,  &c. 
See  a  Statement  of  Facts  relative  to  the  establishment  and  Progress  of  the  Elgin 
Botanic  Garden,  and  the,  Subsequent  Disposal  of  the  same  to  the  State  of  Aew- 
York  ;  Hortus  Elginensis  :  American  Medical  and  Philosophical  Register,  vol. 
2.  from  which  most  of  the  preceding  account  has  been  taken. 

It  is  ardently  hoped  that  an  institution  so  honourable  to  the  individual  by 
whom  it  was  originally  projected,  and  by  whose  care  a$  •Juni6ccnce  it  ha? 
been  eminently  conducive  to  the  promotion  of  the  science  of  botany,  may  not 
be  impaired  in  its  character  or  usefulness  through  any  want  of  public  support ; 
:,nd  it  is  respectfully  suggested  that  nothing  could  more  effectually  secure 
the  important  objects  of  tins  institution  than  some  permanent  prov  ision  made 
by  the  legislature,  and  the  annexation  to  the  establishment  of  a  botanical  pr<> 
hio, 


44  3TOTBS 


NOTE  4. 

The  science  of  medicine  is  prosecuted  with  distinguished  success  in  this  tuuu 
try  j  and  the  contributions  which  it  has  received  from  its  cultivators  in  different 
parts  of  the  United  States  are  numerous  and  highly  important.  To  enter  into 
a  detail  of  those  circumstances  which  modify  the  character  of  the  diseases  of 
America,  and  to  state  the  different  methods  of  treatment  which  appears  to  be 
indicated  upon  the  difference  of  type  in  our  disorders  when  compared  with 
diseases  of  the  like  nature  prevailing  in  other  latitudes,  would  lead  to  an 
extent  of  remark  altogether  beyond  the  limits  prescribed  on  this  occasion.  The 
present  note  is  intended  to  embrace  only  some  of  the  leading  circumstances  con  - 
nected  with  the  origin,  progress,  and  present  condition  of  medical  science  in  this 
state. 

The  first  essay  made  in  the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  imparting  ana- 
tomical knowledge  by  means  of  dissection,  was  made  in  New-York,  by  doctors 
'John  Bard  and  Peter  Middletou,  two  of  the  most  distinguished  practitioner; 
of  this  city.  The  first  attempt  towards  the  promotion  of  a  medical  school  in  the 
state  of  New-York  was  made  in  the  year  1767,  during  the  administration  of  si.- 
Henry  Moore  and  lieutenant  governor  Golden.  In  the  following  year  the  med- 
ical school  was  organized,  under  the  direction  and  government  of  the  college 
of  the  province,  then  called  King's  College,  and  a  body  of  able  profesors  ap- 
pointed to  teach  the  several  branches  of  medical  science.  Among  the  profes- 
tors  we  find  Samuel  Bard,  Peter  Middleton,  and  Samuel  Clossey,  names  famil 
iarly  known  to  those  acquainted  with  the  medical  annals  of  North  America. — 
Jn  1769,  in  consequence  of  a  public  address  delivered  by  dr.  Samuel  Bard,  a 
very  important  addition  was  made  to  the  means  of  medical  education  then  af- 
ibrded,  by  the  establishment  of  the  New-York  Hospital.  The  great  advantages 
which  the  medical  school  of  New-York  thus  possessed  were,  however,  but  ot 
temporary  duration :  the  revolutionary  war  occasioned  a  suspension  of  the  salu- 
tary labours  of  the  professors  connected  with  the  school ;  the  teachers  and  stu 
dents  were  scattered,  and  the  college  converted  by  the  enemy  into  a  military 
Uospital.  After  the  peace  of  1783  the  former  medical  professors  were  neverv 
us  a  body,  reinstated  in  the  situation  in  the  college ;  they  having  been  separated 
Cither  by  accident  or  death.  An  attempt  to  revive  the  medical  school  in  the 
following  year  proving  ineffectual,  the  design  was  relinquished  until  1792. — 
In  this  year,  Columbia  College  was  made  to  embrace  two  faculties  :  a  faculty 
of  arts,  and  another  of  physic  ;  over  the  former  presided  William  Samuel  John- 
son, LL.  D.,  a  gentleman  in  every  respect  qualified  to  the  station  ;  at  the  heat! 
of  the  latter  continued,  for  some  time,  the  learned  and  distinguished  SamucS 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


45 


Bard,  M.  D.  as  dean.  Among  the  professors  who  were  appointed  to  deliver 
lectures  ou  the  different  branches  of  medicine,  were  several  gentlemen  of  ac 
knowledged  talents  and  great  professional  merit.  The  exertions  of  the  trustees 
Of  Columbia  College,  in  their  annexing  a  medical  school  to  that  institution,  art^ 
deserving  of  the  highest  commendation  ;  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the 
science  of  medicine  was  promoted  by  its  establishment,  particularly  in  this 
•tate. 

By  an  act  passed  by  the  legislature  of  this  state  in  March  1791,  the  hon.  the 
regents  of  the  university  were  authorised  to  institute  a  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons.  The  power  thus  vested  in  them  they  thought  proper  to  exercise 
in  1807  j  and,  accordingly,  a  charter  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  the  city  of  New-YoA  was  granted,  bearing  date  the 
12th  of  March  1 807.  The  establishment  of  an  institution  to  be  exclusively  de- 
voted to  the  cultivation  and  diffusion  of  medical  science  under  the  patronage  of 
the  regents  of  the  university,  and  its  sanction  by  the  legislature,  were  circum- 
stances viewed  with  the  greatest  satisfaction,  and  afforded  just  cause  of  con- 
gratulation to  the  friends  of  science  throughout  the  state.  That  the  high 
expectations  which  were  entertained  of  the  benefits  that  would  flow  to  the  com- 
munity from  its  establishment  were  well  founded,  the  history  of  the  college 
during  the  time  it  has  %een  in  operation  presents  the  most  conclusive  evidence. 
In  November,  1807,  the  business  of  the  medical  college  commenced,  and 
courses  of  instruction  were  delivered  on  all  the  branches  of  medicine.  The  abil- 
ity and  success  with  which  the  teachers  filled  the  important  stations  assigned 
them  was  such,  that  the  legislature,  at  their  next  session,  made  the  liberal 
appropriation  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  for  the  benefit  of  the  college.  The 
whole  number  of  students  who  attended  to  the  institution  the  first  year 
was  fifty-three ;  the  second  year  there  was  seventy-two  students ;  a  greater  num- 
ber than  had  ever  before  resorted  to  a  similar  institution  for  medical  instruc  • 
lion  in  this  city  :  the  tfiird  year  the  college  was  attended  by  seventy-three  stu 
dents  from  New-York,  and  other  states  in  the  union. 

In  1810  the  rapid  progress  of  the  college  in  its  importance  and  usefulness  re- 
ceived a  temporary  check  ;  and  its  brilliant  prospects  were,  for  a  while,  over- 
cast, owing  to  certain  misunderstandings  having  taken  place  between  Hie  then 
president  and  professors.  The  regents  of  the  university,  upon  receiving  authen- 
tic information  of  the  dissentions  which  had  thus  been  created,  with  the  same 
laudable  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  medical  science  with  which  they  had  origin- 
ally been  induced  to  organize  the  establishment,  immediately  adopted  measure* 
for  ascertaining  the  cause  of  the  mischief,  and  for  the  removal  of  every  obstacle 
which  might  retard  its  prosperity.  This  they  did  at  their  meeting  held  at  Al- 
bany on  the  1st  of  April,  181 1.  Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  College  of  Pin 


NOTES   AND 


Surgeons,  at  this  period,  the  venerable  Samuel  Bard,  M.  D.  Was 
appointed  president  ;  material  alterations  were  made  in  several  of  the  profes 
nor.Nhing.,  and  important  changes  were  effected  as  to  the  internal  government  oi 
the  institution.  The  Elgin  Botanic  Garden,  founded  by  dr.  Hosack,  and  lately 
pOFchascd  by  the  state,  was  now  committed  to  the  college  by  the  regents,  fop 
the  laudable  purpose  of  promoting  medical  science;  the  legislature  also  during 
f  his  year  made  a  further  grant  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum  for  the  benefit 
tyf  the  college.  About  this  time  power  was  granted  the  college  to  confer  de- 
grees in  medicine, 

In  noticing  the  condition  of  the  college  in  181-2,  the  regents  of  the  university  »• 
a  their  report  to  the  legislature,  observe,  "  The  organization  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  has  been  improved,  and  it  now  presents  a  fair  prospect 
sf  speedily  rising  to  a  stale  of  usefulness  and  celebrity,  such  as  may  be  justly 
fexpected  from  the  importance  of  the  community  in  which  it  is  situated,  and  the- 
government  under  whose  auspices  it  has  been  erected.  A  gentleman  universally 
acknowledged  among  the  first  in  the  medical  profession  in  America,  has  con- 
sented to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  it,  and  professors  of  the  best  talents  have 
fceew  procured  to  deliver  instruction  in  it." 

The  importance  of  the  services  rendered  the  college  by  the  late  measures  of 
the  regents  and  the  legislature  soon  became  apparent.  On  the  15th  of  May  ^ 
1811,  liie  first  medical  commencement  in  the  institution  was  held,  and  the  de- 
gree of  doctor  of  medicine  granted  to  eight  students  who  had  previously  under- 
gone the  necessary  examinations  prescribed  by  its  laws,  and  publicly  defended 
their  respective  inaugural  dissertations.  Th;s  was  a  greater  number  of  degrees' 
in  medicine  than  was  ever  before  granted  at  one  time  in  this  city.  Since  that 
thae  twenty-seven  gentlemen  have  received  the  honours  of  the  medical  doctorate 
;m  this  college;  all  of  whom  had  received  their  education  there.  Of  the  wholf 
number  of  graduates  seven  have  published  their  inaugural  dissertations, 

In  oi  der  most  effectually  to  augment  still  further  the  means  of  medical  edu- 
cation afforded  by  the  college,  the  board  of  trustees,  in  May,  1813,  appropriated 
at  considerable  part  of  their  funds  to;  the  purchase  of  ground  as  a  permanent  situ- 
ation  for  the  college,  and  completed  the  elegant  and  commodious  building  which 
they  DOW  occupy  in  Barclay  street.  The  anatomical,  the  chymical,  the  natural 
history,  and  other  departments  of  the  college,  which  had,  at  different  times  been 
enlarged,  were  also  most  materially  improved  and  enriched. 

Id  September,  1813,  one  of  the  most  important  and  desirable  events  took 
place  which  has  ever  been  recorded  in  our  medical  annals  ;  the  consolidation  of 
the  two  medical  schools  of  this  city  into  one  great  establishment  for  the  promo- 
tion of  medicine.  In  their  address  of  the  above  date  the  College  of  Physician? 
*r^  Surgeons  state  that  a  union  has  been  hono.urably  entered  into  betwe?T« 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  47 

them  and  the  Faculty  of  Medicine  of  Columbia  College.  The  trustees  «f 
Columbia  College  accordingly,  soon  after,  annulled  their  statutes  which  author- 
ized the  connexion  of  a  medical  school  with  their  institution,  and  the  regents  -of 
the  University,  in  March,  1814,  confirmed  the  agreement  which  had  beeu 
entered  into  between  the  College  cf  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  the  Medical 
Faculty  of  Columbia  College. 

Ample  courses  of  instruction,  on  the  following  branches  of  science,  are  now 
provided  by  the  state  medical  school  of  this  city :  anatomy,  physiology,  end 
surgery  ;  theory  and  practice  of  physic  and  clinical  medicine;  ckymistry  ;  prin 
tiples  and  practice  of  surgery  ;  clniical  medicine.  •  maleria  medico  ;  midwifery, 
and  the  diseases  of  women  and  children  ;  medical  jitrisprudence  ;  natural  Mf 
tory  ;  nnttiral  philosophy. 

The  legislature  of  this  state,  with  the  wonted  liberality  they  have  uniformly 
manifested  for  the  promotion  of  useful  knowledge,  at  their  last  session  authorized 
the  raising  of  the  further  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  be  applied  to  th« 
purposes  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  this  city.  It  is  not 
deemed  necessary  here  to  recount  the  great  advantages  which  the  city  cf  New~ 
York  possesses  for  a  great  medical  establishment.  With  a  population  equal  tw 
that  of  most  of  the  capitals  of  Europe,  and  composed  of  inhabitants  from  all  parts 
of  the  world:  with  a  large  and  well-endowed  hospital,  and  other  public  charl 
ties  -.  its  botanic  garden  ;  its  weU  organized  medical  school ;  the  extensive  sys- 
tem of  education  which  it  embraces  ;  and  its  learned  and  able  teachers,  induce 
the  belief  that  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  is  second  to  no  ffiedical 
.establishment  in  the  United  States;  and  in  their  choice  of  such  a  place  ibr  the 
special  cultivation  of  medicine,  the  regents  of  the  university  have  manifested 
the  wisdom  of  their  heads,  and  the  excellence  of  their  hearts.  For  further 
particulars  relative  to  the  progress  of  medicine  in  tliis  state,  see  Middleton't 
Medical  Discourse,  Bard's  Address,  Historical  Sketch  of  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  iu  Amer.  Med.  and  Phil.  Register,  and  other  paiig  of 
the  same  work  ;  Hosack's  Account  of  the  Med.  Schools  of  Nerv-York  ant/. 
Philadelphia;  Syllabus  of  the  several  Courses  of  Lectures  delivered  in  ih* 
Col.  of  Phys.  and  ,Surg.  N.  Y.  1814;  Reports  of  the  Regents  of  &?  U-, 
\crsitv. 


NOTE  5. 

The  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Useful  Arts  has  published  three  vo 
of  its  transactions  at  the  expense  of  the  state,  containing  a  great  body  of  usefei 
•oforwation,  relative  to  the  husbandry  and  maaufactures  of  the  country     TUc 


48  NOTES   AND 

Academy  of  Arts,  principally  for  want  of  a  suitable  place  to  exhibit  its  collec- 
tions, has  not  prospered  in  proportion  to  its  importance.  If  the  application  U 
the  corporation  of  the  city  to  assign  spacious  apartments  for  this  institution,  and 
the  Literary  and  Philosophical,  and  Historical  Societies,  shall  succeed,  (and, 
from  the  invariable  public  spirit  displayed  by  that  body,  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  it  will,)  and  if  the  plan  for  establishing  professorships  in  painting, 
sculpture,  engraving,  architecture,  &c.  shall  also  be  carried  into  effect,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  but  that  (notwithstanding  the  unpropitious  state  of  things  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  arts  and  sciences)  this  useful  establishment  will  flourish. 
The  New-York  Historical  Society  was  established,  in  imitation  of  a  similar 
institution  in  Massachusetts,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  m-aterials  for  illustra- 
ting the  natural,  civil,  ecclesiastical,  literary,  and  medical  history  of  America, 
The  Massachusetts  society  has  published  ten  volumes  of  interesting  matter ; 
that  of  New  York,  besides  publishing  two  volumes,  has  made  a  rare,  invaluable^ 
and  extensive  collection  of  books,  pamphlets,  manuscripts,  newspapers,  maps, 
medals,  &c.  worth  at  least  ten  thousand  dollars,  for  which  it  is  greatly  indebted 
to  the  indefatigable  exertions  of  John  Pintard,  esq.  the  rev.  Timothy  Alden. 
and  dr.  John  W.  Francis.  The  legislature  of  the  state,  deeply  impressed  with 
the  importance  and  merits  of  this  establishment,  and  under  the  influence  of  a 
magnanimous  policy,  conferred  upon  it  last  year  a  donation  of  twelve  thousand 
dollars,  which  will  insure  its  permanent  usefulness.  The  congress  of  the  United 
States  have  also  directed  the  public  documents  to  be  sent  gratuitously  to  the 
several  Historical  Societies  ;  and  the  legislature  of  New-York  have  made  a 
ihnilar  arrangement  respecting  this  institution. 


NOTE  6. 

The  agency  of  dr.  Franklin,  in  projecting  and  arranging  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society,  will  be  seen  by  the  following  interesting  document,  with  which 
i  have  been  favoured  by  Cadwallader  D.  Golden,  esq.  the  distinguished  grand 
ion  of  the  late  dr.  Golden.  I  here  publish  this  paper  from  the  copy  originally 
transmitted  to  lieutenant  governor  Golden,  by  the  celebrated  american  botanist, 
.John  Bartram.  In  this  communication  Franklin  makes  mention  of  himself  as 
the  writer  of  the  proposal  ;  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  first  idea  of  the 
Institution  originated  with  him.  In  a  subsequent  letter  of  dr.  Franklin,  dated 
JMew-York,  April  5,  1744,  addressed  to  dr.  Golden,  and  published  in  the  Ame- 
rican Medical  and  Philosophical  Register,  vol.  2.  Franklin  states,  that  "  so  far 
as  it  relates  to  Philadelphia,  the  society  is  formed,  and  has  had  several  meetings 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  49 

ta  mutual  satisfaction."  Among  the  members  at  that  time  we  find  Thomas 
Godfrey,  the  mathematician,  William  Parsons,  the  geographer,  John  Bartram, 
botanist,  James  Alexander,  esq.  of  New- York,  and  Thomas  Hopkinson  as 
president  of  the  society.  About  this  period  dr.  Colden  became  an  active  and 
most  useful  associate  in  this  confederacy  for  the  promotion  of  useful  knowledge 
is  british  America. 

"  A  PROPOSAL  for  promoting  useful  knowledge  among  the  british  plantation* 
in  America. 

The  engttsh  are  possessed  of  a  long  tract  of  continent,  from  A7ova  Scotia  to 
Qtorgia;  extending  north  and  south  through  different  climates,  having  different 
soils,  producing  different  plants,  mines,  and  minerals  j  and  capable  of  different 
improvements,  manufactures,  etc. 

The  first  drudgery  of  settling  new  colonies,  which  confines  the  attention  of 
people  to  mere  necessaries,  is  now  pretty  well  over ;  and  there  are  many  in 
every  province  in  circumstances  that  set  them  at  ease,  and  afford  leisure  to  cul- 
tivate the  finer  arts,  and  improve  the  common  stock  of  knowledge.  To  such  of 
these  who  are  men  of  speculation,  many  hints  must  from  time  to  time  arise  ; 
many  observations  occur,  which,  if  well  examined,  pursued,  and  improved, 
might  produce  discoveries  to  the  advantage  of  some  or  all  of  the  british  planta 
tions,  or  to  the  benefit  of  mankind  in  general. 

But  as,  from  the  extent  of  the  country,  such  persons  are  widely  separated,  and 
seldom  can  see  and  converse,  or  be  acquainted  with  each1  other,  so  that  many 
useful  particulars  remain  uncommunicated,  die  with  the  discoverers,  and  are  lost 
to  mankind ;  it  is,  to  remedy  this  inconvenience  for  the  future,  proposed, 

That  one  society  be  formed  of  virtuosi,  or  ingenious  m«n,  residing  in  the  seve- 
ral colonies,  to  be  called  The  American  Philosophical  Society  ;  who  are  to 
maintain  a  constant  correspondence. 

That  Philadelphia,  being  the  city  nearest  the  centre  of  the  continent  colonies, 
communicating  with  all  of  them  northward  and  southward  by  post,  and  with  all 
the  islands  by  sea,  and  having  the  advantage  of  a  good  growing  library,  be  .the 
centre  of  the  society. 

That  at  Philadelphia  there  be  always  at  least  seven  members ;  vis.  a  physician, 
a  botaaist,  a  mathematician,  a  chymist,  a  mechanician,  a  geographer,  and  a 
general  natural  philosopher  ;  beside  a  president,  treasurer,  and  secretary. 

That  these  members  meet  once  a  month,  or  oftener,  at  their  own  expense ;  to 
communicate  to  each  other  their  observations,  experiments,  etc.  to  receive,  read, 
and  consider  such  letters,  communications,  or  queries,  as  shall  be  sent  from  dis- 
tant members  ;  to  rfifect  the  dispersing  of  copies  of  such  communications  ai  are 

G 


50  NOTKS  AND 

valuable,  to  other  distant  members,  in  order  to  procure  their  sentiments  there- 
upon, etc. 

That  the  subjects  of  the  correspondence  be,  all  new-discovered  plants,  herbs, 
trees,  roots,  etc.  their  virtues,  uses,  etc.  methods  of  propagating  them,  and  making 
such  as  are  useful,  but  particular  to  some  plantations,  more  general.  Improve- 
ments of  vegetable  juices,  as  ciders,  wines,  etc.  New  methods  of  curing  or  pre- 
venting diseases.  All  new-discovered  fossils  in  different  countries,  as  mines' 
aiinerals,  quarries,  etc.  New  and  useful  improvements  in  any  branch  of  mathe- 
matics. New  discoveries  in  chymistry,  such  as  improvements  in  distillation, 
brewing,  assaying  of  ores,  etc.  New  mechanical  inventions  for  saving  labour  ; 
as  mills,  carriages,  etc.  and  for  raising  and  conveying  of  water,  draining  of  mead- 
ows, etc.  -All  new  arts,  trades,  manufactures,  etc.  that  may  be  proposed  or 
thought  of.  Surveys,  maps,  -and  charts  of  particular  parts  of  the  sea  coasts,  or 
inland  countries  j  course  and  junction  of  rivers  and  great  roads,  situation  of 
lakes  and  mountains,  nature  of  the  soil  and  productions,  etc.  New  methods  of 
improving  the  breed  of  useful  animals ;  introducing  other  sorts  from  foreign 
countries.  New  improvements  in  planting,  gardening,  clearing  land,  etc.  And 
all  philosophical  experiments  that  let  light  into  the  nature  of  things,  tend  to 
increase  the  power  of  man  over  matter,  and  multiply  the  conveniences  or 
pleasures  of  life. 

That  a  correspondence,  already  begun  by  some  intended  members,  shall  be 
kept  up  by  this  society  with  the  Royal  Society  of  London,  and  with  the  Dublin 
Society. 

That  every  member  shall  have  abstracts  sent  him  quarterly,  of  every  thing 
valuable  communicated  to  the  society's  secretary  at  Philadelphia,  free  of  all 
charge  except  the  yearly  payment  hereafter  mentioned. 

That  by  permission  of  the  postmaster-general,  such  communications  pass 
between  the  secretary  of  the  society  and  the  members,  postage  free. 

That  for  the  defraying  the  expense  of  such  experiments  as  the  society  shall 
judge  proper  to  cause  to  be  made,  and  other  contingent  charges  for  the  common 
good,  every  member  send  a  piece  of  eight  per  annum  to  the  treasurer  at  Phila- 
delphia, to  form  a  common  stock,  to  be  disbursed  by  order  of  the  president  with 
the  consent  of  the  majority  of  the  members  that  can  conveniently  be  consulted 
thereupon,  to  such  persons  and  places  where  and  by  whom  the  experiments  are 
to  be  made,  and  otherwise,  as  there  shall  be  occasion ;  of  which  disbursements 
an  exact  account  shall  be  kept,  and  communicated  yearly  to  every  member. 

That  at  the  first  meetings  of  the  members  at  Philadelphia,  such  rules  be  form- 
ed for  regulating  their  meetings  and  transactions  for  the  general  benefit  as 
shall  be  convenient  and  necessary  ;  to  be  afterwards  changed  and  improved  as 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  51 

there  shall  be  occasion,  wherein  due  regard  is  to  be  had  to  the  advice  of  dis- 
tant members. 

That  at  the  end  of  every  year  collections  be  made  and  printed,  of  such  exper- 
iments, discoveries,  SmproTements,  &c.  as  may  be  thought  of  public  advantage; 
and  that  every  member  have  a  copy  sent  him. 

That  the  business  and  duty  of  the  secretary  be,  to  receive  all  letters  intended 
for  the  society,  and  lay  them  before  the  president  and  members  at  their  meet- 
ings ;  to  abstract,  correct,  and  methodize  such  papers,  &c.  as  require  it ;  and  as 
he  shall  be  directed  to  do  by  the  president,  after  they  have  been  considered, 
debated,  and  digested  in  the  society  ;  to  enter  copies  thereof  in  the  society'* 
books,  and  make  out  copies  for  distant  members  ;  to  answer  their  letters  by 
direction  of  the  president,  and  keep  records  of  all  material  transactions  of  the 
society,  tfc. 

Benjamin  Franklin,  the  writer  of  this  proposal,  offers  himself  to  serve  the 
society  as  their  secretary,  till  they  shall  be  provided  with  one  more  capable. 

Philadelphia,  May  14,  1743." 


NOTE  7. 

The  appearance  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  Holland  Company,  particularly 
from  Bataviato  Lake  Erie,  furnishes  strong  indications  of  the  recession  of  that 
lake.  Near  Vendeventer's  tavern,  in  Niagara  county,  about  twenty-two  miles 
from  the  lake,  there  is  a  perpendicular  descent  whfch  is  said  to  extend  from  the 
Genesee  river  to  Black  Rock  j  between  it  and  the  Stone  Ridge,  which  runs  from 
theGenesee  river  to  Lewiston,  there  is  an  immense  valley,  twenty  miles  across 
called  Tonewanto  Valley.  The  precipice  at  Vandeventer's  is  from  one  hun- 
dred to  two  hundred  feet,  composed  principally  of  limestone  and  flint ;  combined 
like  those  on  Bird  Island,  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  and  bearing  every  mark  of 
the  attrition  and  abrasion  of  the  waves.  The  rocks  are  scooped  out  by  the  water 
On  digging  a  cellar  here,  a  great  collection  of  lakesand,  and  another  of  gravel, 
were  found.  Might  not  Lake  Erie  have  formerly  covered  the  Tonewanto 
Valley  and  formed  an  immense  bay,  when  the  Niagara  falls  were  at  Queenstown  p 
•and  on  the  recession  of  the  cataract,  might  not  Lake  Erie  have  retreated  from 
the  valley  ?  perhaps  the  stone  ridge  was  the  boundary  between  Lake  Erie  and 
Ontario  ?  or  might  not  Lake  Erie  have  formerly  discharged  itself  by  the  Tone- 
wanto Valley  into  the  Genesee  river  ?  it  is,  however,  believed  by  some  that 
this  lake  formerly  discharged  itself  by  the  Ctiicaga  creek,  and  illinoi?  and 
rive'rt,  into  the  Gnlf  ef  Mexico,  before  the  supposed  barrier 


52  NOTES  AND 

at  Lewistoa  was  broken  down.  Between  Vendeventer's  and  ibis  precipice 
are  to  be  found  a  great  variety  of  fossil  shells  and  petrifactions,  embedded  ia 
limestone. 

On  another  occasion  I  made  the  following  statement  in  relation  to  Lake  On- 
tario :  "  From  near  the  Genesee  river  toLewiston,  on  the  Niagara  river,  there 
is  a  remarkable  ridge,  or  elevation  ofland,  running  almost  the  whole  distance 
which  is  seventy-eight  miles,  and  in  a  direction  from  east  to  west.  Its  general 
altitude  above  the  neighbouring  land  is  thirty  feet,  and  its  width  varies  con- 
siderably ;  in  some  places  it  is  not  more  than  forty  yards.  Its  elevation  above 
the  level  of  Lake  Ontario  is,  perhaps,  one  hundred  and  sixty -feet,  to  which  it 
descends  oy  a  gradual  slope,  and  its  distance  from  that  water  is  between  six  and 
ten  miles.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  remarkable  ridge  was 
the  ancient  boundary  of  this  great  lake.  The  gravel  with  which  it  is  covered 
was  deposited  there  by  the  waters,  and  the  stones  every  where  indicate  by  their 
shape  the  abrasion  and  agitation  produced  by  that  element.  All  along  the 

borders  of  the  western  rivers  and  lakes  there  are  small  mounds,  or  heaps  of 

• 

gravel,  of  a  conical  form,  erected  by  the  fish  for  the  protection  of  their  spawn  : 
these  fish  banks  are  found  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge,  on  the  side  towards  the  lake  ; 
on  the  opposite  side  none  have  been  discovered.  All  rivers  and  streams  which 
enter  the  lake  from  the  south  have  their  mouths  affected  with  sand  in  a  pecu- 
liar way,  from  the  prevalence  and  power  of  the  northwesterly  winds.  The 
points  of  the  creeks  which  pass  through  the  ridge  correspond  exactly  in  appear- 
ance with  the  entrance  of  the  streams  into  the  lake.  These  facts  evince,  beyond 
doubt,  that  Lake  Ontario  has  receded  from  this  elevated  ground  :  and  the 
cause  of  this  retreat  must  be  ascribed  to  its  having  enlarged  its  former  outlet ;  or 
to  its  imprisoned  waters  (aided,  probably,  by  an  earthquake)  forcing  a  passage 
down  the  present  bed  of  the  St.  Lawrence."  Collections  of  the  New-York  His- 
torical Society,  wl.  2. 

The  little  falls  on  the  Mohawk  river,  in  connexion  with  the  surrounding 
country,  exhibit  a  very  interesting  aspect.  As  you  approach  the  falls  the  river 
becomes  narrow  and  deep ;  and  you  pass  through  immense  rocks  principally  of 
granite  interspersed  with  limestone.  In  various  places  you  observe  profound 
excavations  in  the  rocks  made  by  the 'agitation  of  pebbles  in  the  fissures,  and  in 
some  places  the  river  is  not  more  than  twenty  yards  wide.  As  you  approach 
the  western  extremity  of  the  hills  you  find  them  about  half  a  mile  distant  from 
summit  to  summit ;  and  at  least  three  hundred  feet  high.  The  rocks  are  com- 
posed of  granite,  and  many  of  them  are  thirty  or  forty  feet  thick,  and  the  whole 
mountain  extends,  at  least,  half  a  mile  from  east  to  west.  You  see  them  piled 
on  each  other  like  Ossaon  Pelion  ;  and  in  other  places  huge  fragments  scattered 
-about  indicating  evidently  a  violent  rupture  of  the  waters  through  this  place,  as 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  53 

jS  they  had  been  formerly  dammed  up  and  had  forced  a  passage  ;  and  in 
all  directions  you  behold  great  rocks  exhibiting  rotundities,  points,  and 
cavities  ;  as  if  worn  by  the  violence  of  the  waves,  or  hurled  from  their  ancient 
positions. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  little  falls  indicates  the  former  existence  of  a 
great  lake  above,  connected  with  the  Oneida  lake  ;  and  as  the  waters  forced 
a  passage  here  and  receded,  the  flats  above  were  formed  and  composed  several 
thousand  acres  of  the  richest  land.  Rome  being  the  highest  point  on  the  lake, 
the  passage  of  the  waters  on  the  east  side  left  it  bare  ;  the  Oneida  lake  gradually 
receded  on  the  west  side,  and  formed  the  great  marsh  or  swamp,  now  surround- 
ing the  waters  on  Wood  creek.  The  physiognomy  of  the  country  from  the 
commencement  of  Wood  creek  to  its  termination  in  the  Oneida  lake,  confirm* 
this  hypothesis.  The  westerly  and  northwesterly  winds  continually  drive  the 
gand  of  the  lake  towards  the  creek,  and  you  can  distinctly  perceive  the  allu- 
vions increasing  eastward  by  the  accumulation  of  sand,  and  the  formation  of 
uew  ground.  Near  the  lake  you  observe  sand  without  trees  ;  then  to  the  east 
a  few  scattering  trees  ;  and  as  you  proceed  in  that  direction  the  woods  thicken. 
The  whole  country  from  the  commencement  to  the  termination  of  Wood  creek 
looks  like  made  ground.  In  digging  the  canal  in  Wood  creek,  pine  trees  have 
been  found  twelve  feet  deep.  An  old  boatman  several  years  ago  said  that  he 
had  been  fifty  years  in  that  employ,  and  that  the  Oneida  lake  had  receded 
half  a  mile  within  bis  memory.  William  Colbreath,  one  of  the  first  settlers  at 
Rome,  in  digging  a  well  found  a  large  tree  at  the  depth  of  twelve  feet.  This 
great  lake  breaking  down  ia  the  first  place  the  barriers  which  opposed  the 
progress  of  its  waters  to  the  east,  and  then  gradually  receding  to  the  west,  is  a 
subject  well  deserving  of  minute  investigation. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  Hudson  river  opened  a  new  route  for  itself  by  prostra- 
ting the  mountains  at  the  highlands,  and  that  its  former  coarse  lay  through  one 
pf  the  vallies  to  the  west. 

Among  similar  instances  which  might  be  adduced,  as  having  occurred  in  the 
old  world,  I  might  refer  to  the  Caspian  Sea  and  Lake  Aral  j  which  were  supposed 
to  have  been  formerly  united.  The  Caspian  Sea  is  three  hundred  leagues  long, 
and  fifty  broad.  Lake  Aral  about  one  hundred  leagues  long,  and  fifty  broad  j 
the  latter  is  about  one  hundred  leagues  east  of  the  former  ;  the  intervening 
country  is  a  sandy  desert ;  neither  have  an  outlet  j  both  are  salt,  and  the  surplus 
waters  are  carried  off  by  evaporation.  The  Caspian  receives  no  rivers  from  the 
east,  and  Lake  Aral  n«ne  from  the  west.  From  these  circumstances  it  is  inferred 
that  they  were  formerly  united. 

Since  the  cultivation  of  our  country  great  changes  have  taken  place  in  rivers, 
streams,  and  small  lakes.  Some  that  were  formerly  fall  of  water  are  nearly  dry, 


54  NOTES  AHTa 

and  others  are  entirely  so.    These  changes  will  proceed,  and  they  maybe  ascri- 
bed to  the  following  causes : 

1.  The  cutting  down  of  the  woods,  and  the  draining  of  swamps,  expose  the 
waters  to  the  power  of  the  sun,  and  dry  up  the  sources  from  whence  they 
proceed. 

2.  Cultivation  increases  the  alluvions  of  rivers,  etc.  by  loosening  the  soil,  and 
depriving  it  of  the  trees  and  plants  which  prevented  it  from  being  carried  off  by 
the  water. 


NOTE  8. 

The  fossil  shells  and  petrifactions  which  have  been  discovered  all  over  the 
world,  on  the  loftiest  mountains  as  well  as  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  are  justly 
considered  as  the  most  interesting  phenomena  of  nature.  Linnaeus  says  that,  "  the 
innumerable  petrifactions  of  foreign  animals,  and  of  animals  never  seen  by  any 
mortal  in  our  day,  which  often  lie  hid  among  stones  under  the  most  lofty  moun- 
tains, are  the  only  remaining  fragments  of  the  ancient  world."  Buffon  denomi- 
nates them  the  monuments,  and  Pallas  styles  them  the  medals,  of  nature.  Dr. 
Barton  has  expressed  this  idea  in  the  following  impressive  language :  *'  I  consider 
the  petrifactions  and  impressions  which  are  found  on  many  of  our  mountains,  as 
some  of  the  most  interesting  medals  of  the  revolutions  which  our  country  has 
undergone." 

This  country  furnishes  these  medals  of  nature  in  as  great  variety  and  abun- 
dance as  any  in  the  world.  They  are  found  in  a  number  of  forms ;  1.  The 
fossil  shell  detached  from  any  other  substance ;  2.  The  real  shell  embedded  in, 
or  adhering  to,  stone ;  3.  The  impressions  on  stone  of  the  elevated  and  concave 
Surfaces  of  the  shells,  without  any  vestige  of  them. 

Kalm  made  many  interesting  discoveries  of  petrifactions  in  the  northern  parts 
of  this  state.  On  the  mountains  at  Crown  Point  he  found  petrifactions  of  all  kinds ; 
.and  chiefly  pectinites,  or  petrified  ostrea  pectines  ;  and  sometimes  whole  strata  of 
the  latter,  consisting  merely  of  a  quantity  of  shells  of  this  sort  grown  together  j 
generally  small,  and  never  exceeding  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length.  Some  of  the 
shells  were  very  elevated,  especially  in  the  middle,  where  they  formed,  as  it  were, 
a  lump ;  others  again  were  depressed  in  the  middle ;  but  in  most  of  them  the  out- 
ward surface  was  remarkably  elevated,  and  the  furrows  always  run  longitudinally 
from  the  top  diverging  to  the  margin.  These  petrifactions  were  principally  found 
in  black  limestone,  lying  in  lamellae,  as  slates  do,  and  might  be  called  a  kind  of 
slates  convertible  into  quick  lime  by  fire.  The  strata  which  lay  uppermost  in  the 
mountains,  consisted  of  a  gray  limestone.  The  black  liosestona  is  the  marmor 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  55 

schlstosum  of  Linnsus,  and  the  schistus  calcarious  of  Forster.  Kalm  also  saw 
ia  this  place  many  petrified  cornua  ammonia ;  among  them  were  some  petrified 
snails.  Some  of  these  cornua  were  remarkably  large  j  for  they  measured  above 
two  feet  in  diameter.  Different  kinds  of  coral  could  be  plainly  seeji  and  sepa- 
rated from  the  stone  in  which  they  lay  :  some  were  white  and  lithophytes  ; 
others  were  starry  corals  or  madrepores. 

In  one  place,  near  the  shore  of  Lake  Champlain,  he  saw  a  number  of  petrified 
cornua  ammonis,  in  gray  limestone.  Some  of  this  stone  contained  a  number  of 
petrifactions,  with  and  without  shells ;  and  in  one  place  he  found  prodigious 
large  cornua  ammonis  about  twenty  inches  in  breadth.  In  some  instances  the 
water  had  worn  off  the  stone,  but  could  not  have  the  same  effect  on  the  petri- 
factions which  lay  elevated  abore,  and  in  a  manner  glued  on  the  stones.  Kalnfi 
Travels,  vol.  3. 

The  principal  seat  of  these  fossils  and  petrifactions  are  calcarious  stones ;  this 
arises  from  the  preserving  power  of  the  substance;  but  I  have  seen  very  curious 
one*  in  sandstone  on  lot  No.  69.  of  the  Cayuga  reservation,  in  the  county  of 
Cayuga.  This  place  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Cayuga  Lake.  A 
ridge  of  rocks  and  stones  extends  a  mile  in  a  parallel  direction  with  the  lake. 
The  higher  stratum  is  composed  »of  limestone,  and  the  next  adjoining  one  of 
sandstone;  filled  with  marine  substances.  There  is  but  one  stratum  of  sand 
stone,  of  the  thickness  of  two  or  three  feet,  and  below  and  beneath,  as  well  as 
above  it,  there  is  limestone.  The  sandstone  contains  several  strange  marine 
shell?,  which,  I  should,  therefore,  pronounce  to  be  oceanic.  There  are  littoral 
ones  also,  such  as  scallops  and  periwinkles.  One  strange  substance  is  larger 
than  a  scallop,  and  one  is  like  the  great  crab  called  a  horseshoe  in  miniature. 
From  the  propinquity  of  the  limestone  I  should  suppose  that  the  sand  anJ 
marine  substances  were  connected  together  by  a  solution  of  the  calcarious 
matter.  Some  of  the  stones  were  probably  ejected  by  torrents  from  the  regular 
layers.  The  sandstones  are  found  singly  all  over  the  adjacent  fields,  are  easily 
broken,  and  when  pounded  or  burnt  are  converted  into  fine  marine  sand.  They 
are  not  only  indented  with  the  figures  of  shells,  but  contain  the  shells  themselves 
in  a  petrified  form. 

These  petrifactions  are  certainly  worthy  of  a  more  minute  examination.  Dr. 
Smith  considered  a  very  extensive  collection  of  fish  in  sandstone,  in  the  posses- 
sion of  an  apothecary  of  Verona,  a  very  great  curiosity.  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  a  very  interesting  one  of  shells  might  be  made  from  these  immense  strata 
of  sandstone.  Fifo  J.  E.  Smith's  Sketch  ef  a  Tsur  on  ike,  Continent,  vol.  3. 


56  NOTES  ANfi 


NOTE  9. 

In  the  country  about  Salina,  the  place  where  the  principal  manufactory  of 
ealt  is,  there  are  immense  quantities  of  gypsum.  It  appears  that  there  is  some 
natural  affinity  between  gypsum  and  salt.  Mr.  Pennant  thus  speaks  of  North- 
wich,  a  small  town  long  famous  for  its  rock  salt  and  brine  pits :  "  The  stratum 
of  salt  lies  about  forty  yards  deep.  Above  the  salt,  is  a  bed  of  whitish  clay 
(argilla  ccerula  cinerea)  used  in  making  the  Liverpool  earthen  ware  j  and  in  the 
same  place  is  also  dug  a  good  deal  of  the  gypsum,  or  plaster  stone.  The  fossil 
aalt  is  generally  yellow  and  semi-pellucid,  sometimes  debased  with  a  dull, 
greenish  earth,  and  is  often  found,  but  in  small  quantities,  quite  clear  and 
colourless."  Tour  in  Scotland,  1769. 


NOTE  10. 

It  is  highly  probable  that  there. are  other  springs  of  petroleum  in  other  parts 
of  the  country.  Large  oil  stones  are  found  at  the  indian  saw  mill  twelve  miles 
up  the  buffalo  creek,  strongly  impregnated  with  Seneka  oil.  These  stones  are 
produced  from  bituminous  springs  flowing  over  beds  of  madrepores  underground. 
Pennant  says,  that  petroleum,  or  rock  oil,  is  found  sometimes  in  the  mines  in 
Wales,  has  an  agreeable  smell,  and  is  esteemed  serviceable  in  rheumatic  cases, 
if  rubbed  on  the  parts  affected.  The  miners  call  it  the  fairies'  butter.  Tour  in 
Wales,  vol.  I. 

But  the  most  extraordinary  bituminous  springs  of  which  we  have  any  account, 
are  in  the  Birman  empire.  In  the  province  of  Arracan,  major  Symes  met  with 
a  considerable  cluster  of  them,  the  depth  of  whose  wells  was  about  thirty- 
seven  fathoms,  and  the  column  of  oil  contained  in  them  generally  as  high  as  the 
waist  of  those  who  descended  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  it.  Siymes^s  Embassy 
to  Am. 


NOTE  11. 

Since  writing  this  discourse  I  have  been  favoured  with  "  A  Discourse  o» 
some  of  the  Principal  Desiderata  in  Natural  History,  and  on  the  best  means  of 
I'roraoting  the  Study  of  this  Science  in  the  United  States,"  by  Dr.  Barton,  of 
Philadelphia.  I  regret  that  I  had  not  before  the  benefit  of  this  ingenious  and 
learned  work,  having  been  often  instructed  by  other  writings  of  this  distinguish 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  57 

c4  author.  In  this  discourse  he  says,  "  Nor  is  the  satisfactory  decision  of  the 
question  relative  to  the  origin  of  the  americans  beyond  the  reach  of  science. 
It  is,  indeed,  a  question  which  can  only  be  fully  decided  by  much  •  labour  and 
patience  in  research,  aided  by  that  candour  wluch  should  be  inseparable  from 
the  character  of  a  genuine  philosopher.  For  the  intestigation  of  this  subject,  we 
should  lose  no  time  in  collecting  vocabularies  of  the  languages  of  the  Indians  ; 
as  well  those  with  whom  we  have  been  long  acquainted,  as  those  who  have 
recently  become  known  to  us,  through  the  medium  of  the  travels,  of  mr.  Mac- 
kenzie, captains  Lewis,  Clark,  Freeman,  and  others.  In  this  inquiry,  too,  it 
will  be  highly  important  to  have  an  eye  to  the  religious  institutions  and  the  my- 
thology of  the  auaericans.  I  have  elsewhere  stated  that  large  fragments  of 
the  asiatic  mythology  are  preserved  in  a  considerable  degree  of  purity,  in  the 
most  distant  or  opposite  regions  of  America,  on  the  shores  of  Lakes  Superior 
and  Ontario,  and  on  the  confines  of  the  Plata  and  Maragnon." 

In  stating  that  there  are  thirty -five  languages  in  Mexico  I   have  followed 
;  Hamboldt  says  there  are  but  twenty.  HumboldPs  £fm  Spain,  vol.2. 


£OTE  12. 

N^Eua,  in  his  celebrated  Systema  Naturae,  has  divided  animals 


1.  Mammalia. 

2.  Birds. 

3.  Amphibia. 

4.  Fishes. 

5.  Insects. 

6.  Worms. 

9e  distributes  the  class  mammalia  into  seven  err 
1.  Primates. 
*J.  Bruta. 

3.  Ferae. 

4.  -Glireg. 

5.  Pecora. 
U.  Belluae. 
1.  Cete, 

And  after  describing  the  first  order,  primates,  as  having  cutting  foreteetlu 
four  parallel  upper  teeth  and  two  pectoral  teats,  hs  div/dw  it  into 


NOTES    AMJ3 

2.  Simla. 

3.  Lemur. 

4.  Vespertilio.  Turton's  Translation,  vol.  I. 
Several  new  systems  have  been  formed,  the  most  esteemed  of  which  are  those 

of  Blumenbach  and  Cuvier.* 

Blumenbach's  is  as  follows  : 

There  are  two  grand  divisions  of  animals ;  those  which  have  a  vertebral  col- 
umn and  red  blood  and  those  which  have  no  vertebrae  and  are  white  blooded. 

He  subdivides  vertebral  animals  into  the  warm  and  cold  blooded,  and  makes 
two  classes  of  warm  blooded  animals : 

1.  Mammalia. 

2.  Birds. 

And  he  distributes  the  class  mammalia  into  six  orders ': 

1.  Bimanum  ;  two  handed  animals. 

2.  Quadrumana ;  four  handed  animals. 

3.  Brady poda  ;  slow  moving  animals. 

4.  Cheiroptera ;  having  the  fingers  elongated  for  the  expansion  of  a  menc- 
brane,  which  acts  as  a  wing. 

5.  Glires ;  gnawing  animals. 

6.  Ferae  ;  predaceous  and  carnivorous  animals. 

For  all  the  outlines  see  the  Introduction  to  Blumenbach's  Short  System  of 
Comparative  Anatomy,  by  William  Lawrence. 

Cuvier,  also,  divides  the  animal  kingdom  into  two  great  families  ;  1.  Animals 
which  have  vertebrae  and  red  blood  ;  2.  Animals  without  vertebrae,  almost  aH 
of  which  have  white  blood. 

He  subdivides  vertebral  animals  into  two  branches  ;  those  with  warm  blood 
tod  those  with  cold  blood. 

Each  of  these  two  branches  is  divided  into  two  classes.  Those  of  the  animals 
With  warm  blood  are, 

1.  Mammalia. 

2.  Bird*. 

The  classes  of  vertebral  animals  with  cold  blood  are, 

1.  Reptiles. 

2.  Fishes. 

The  invertebral  animals  ought  to  be  divided  into  five  classes 

1.  Mollusca. 

2.  Crustacea. 

3.  Insects. 

4.  Terrestrial  worms  and.  Ieec!ies>- 

5.  Zoophyte 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  8 

He  theu  divides  the  class  mammalia  into  the  following  orders  : 

1 .  Cetacea. 

2.  Ruminantia  j  all  cloven-footed. 

3.  Pachvderinata ;  more  than  two  toes  to  the  foot ;  inciiive  teeth  in  both 
aws,  and  frequently  enormous  canine  teeth. 

4.  Solipeda  j  having  only  one  apparent  toe  to  each  foot. 

5.  Tardigrada  ;  toes  united  by  the  skin  and  cannot  be  moved  separately , 
no  dentes  incisorcs. 

6.  Edentata  ;   resembling  the  former  in  the  little  freedom  of  the  toes 
aad  the  want  of  the  incisores  ;  have  a  simple  stomach. 

7.  Rodentia  ;  claws  j  long  incisive  teeth  at  the  end  of  each  jaw,   without 
any  canine  teeth. 

8.  Sarcophaga  j  like  the  former  in  the  claws,  but  a  more  complete  set  of 
teeth  ;  incigores  short  and  strong ;  canine  teeth  and  molares. 

9.  Amphibia. 

10.  Bats. 

11.  Quadrumana,   which  of  all  the  mammiferous  animals  are  those  tha.t 
inost  resemble  man. 

For  the  remaining  outlines  of  this  system  see  G.  Cumr's  Lectures  on  Compar- 
ative Anatomy,  translated  by  William  Ross,  vol.  I.  art.  5. 


!•? 


The  traditions  of  the  Indians,  and  the  speculations  of  philosophers,  respecting 
this  enormous  animal,  have  been  various  j  and,  perhaps,  on  the  whole,  unsatisfac- 
tory. It  is  certain  that  the  Indians  had  some  notions  respecting  the  mammoth, 
which  they  might  have  derived  from  tradition  ;  or,  after  seeing  it*  remains,  they 
might  have  invented  the  fables  which  exist.  Charlevoix,  in  his  Voyage  to  North 
America,  (vol.  1.)  says,  "  There  is  also  a  very  diverting  tradition  among  the 
Indians  of  a  great  elk  of  such  a  monstrous  size,  that  the  rest  are  like  pismires  in 
comparison  of  him  ;  his  legs,  they  say,  are  so  long  that  eight  feet  of  snow  are  not 
the  least  encumbrance  to  him  ;  his  hide  is  proof  against  all  manner  of  weapons, 
and  he  has  a  sort  of  arm  proceeding  from  his  shoulders  which  he  uses  as  we  do 
ours.  He  is  always  attended  by  a  vast  number  of  elks,  which  form  his  court,  and 
which  render  him  all  the  service  he  requires."  This  description  respecting  the 
arm  appears  like  the  proboscis  of  an  elephant.  Kalm,  who  travelled  in  thi» 
country  in  1749,  says,  "  Some  years  ago  a  skeleton  of  an  amazing  great  animal 
Itad  been  found  in  that  part  of  Canada  where  the  Illinois  live  on  the  river  Ohio, 


80  NOTES  ANiJ 

The  Indians  were  surprised  at  the  sight  of  it;  and  when  they  were  asked  what 
they  thought  it  was,  they  answered  that  it  must  be  the  chief  or  father  of  all  the 
beavers.  It  was  of  prodigious  bulk,  and  had  thick  white  teeth  about  ten  inches 
long.  It  was  looked  upon  as  the  skeleton  of  an  elephant.  A  french  lieutenant 
in  the  fort,  who  had  seen  it,  assured  me  that  the  figure  of  the  whole  snout  was 
yet  to  be  seen  though  it  was  half  mouldered.  He  added  that  he  had  not  obser- 
ved that  any  of  the  bones  were  taken  away,  bat  thought  the  skeleton  lay  quite 
perfect  there.  I  have  heard  people  talk  of  this  monstrous  skeleton  in  several 
other  parts  of  Canada."  Kalm's  Travels,  vol.  3. 

During  the  revolution  a  delegation  of  warriors  from  the  Delaware  tribe  toW 
ihe  governor  of  Virginia  that  it  was  a  tradition  handed  down  from  their  fathers, 
*'  that,  in  ancient  times,  a  herd  of  these  tremendous  animals  came  to  the  big 
bone  licks  and  be^nn  an  universal  destruction  of  the  bear,  deer,  elk,  buffaloes, 
and  other  animals  which  Lad  been  created  for  tlie  use  of  the  Indians ;  that  the 
Great  Man  above,  looking  dotvn  and  seeing  this,  was  so  enraged,  that  he  seized 
his  lightning,  descended  on  the  earth,  seated  himself  on  a  neighbouring  moun- 
tain, on  a  rock  of  which  his  sent  and  the  print  of  his  feet  are  still  to  be  seen,  and 
hurled  his  bolts  among  them  till  the  whole  were  slaughtered,  except  the  big  bull? 
who,  presenting  his  forehead  to  the  shafts,  shook  them  off  as  they  fell ;  but  mis- 
sing one  at  length,  it  wounded  him  in  the  side  ;  whereon  springing  round,  he 
bounded  over  the  Ohio,  over  the  W abash, the  Illinois,  and  finally  over  the  great 
lakes,  where  he  is  living  at  this  day."  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia. 

In  the  year  1748,  M.  Fabri,  who  had  made  great  excursions  into  the  northern 
parts  of  Louisiana  and  the  southern  regions  of  Canada,  informed  Buffon  that  he 
had  seen  heads  and  skeletons  of  an  enormous  quadrupod,  called  by  the  savages 
the  father  of  oxen  ;  and  that  the  thigh  bones  of  these  animals  were  from  five  to 
six  feet  in  length.  Biffin's  Natural  History,  translated  by  Smellie,  vol.  9. 

In  Siberia  a  similar  animal  was  supposed  to  exist  under  ground,  and  many 
fables  were  related  respecting  it  under  the  russian  name  of  mammoth.  Notwith- 
standing these  traditions  and  reports,  the  attention  of  the  philosophers  of  Europe 
was  not  fully  drawn  to  this  subject  until  1765,  when  mr.  George  Croghan  saw,  in 
the  vicinity  of  a  large  salt  marsh,  on  the  country  bordering  on  the  Ohio,  immense 
bones  and  teeth,  and  he  sent  some  of  them  to  England,  where  they  immediately 
became  the  subject  of  speculation  and  discussion  j  before  this  similar  bones  were 
discovered  in  the  russian  dominions.  Dr.  Hunter,  a  celebrated  anatomist,  from 
nn  examination  of  the  teeth,  pronounced  them  to  belong  to  a  carnivorous  non- 
descript animal.  Daubenton  declared,  at  one  time,  that  this  animal  was  an  ele- 
phant, and  at  another  time  thought  that  the  teeth  were  those  of  an  hippopota- 
mus, and  conceived  that  the  animal  partook  of  both  those  species,  and  was  a  real 
mule.  Muller  supposed  thai  they  belong  to  certain  unknown  quadrupeds, 


ILLtSTRATlO^i.  ,  61 

nated  maramouts,  or  mammoths,  from  the  russian  name,  supposed  to  have  been 
derived  from  the  hebrew  behemoth.  BufFon  was  of  opinion  that,  independently 
of  the  elephant  and  hippopotamus  whose  relicks  are  equally  found  in  the  tw» 
continents,  another  animal,  common  to  both,  has  formerly  existed  ;  the  size  of 
which  has  greatly  exceeded  that  of  the  largest  elephants  ;  and,  at  one  period,  ho 
supposed  that  it  was  seven  times  larger.  Pallas  believed,  that  the  bones  found 
in  Siberia  were  those  of  the  elephant  and  rhinoceros,  and  said  that  those  countries, 
which  are  now  desolated  by  the  rigours  of  intense  cold,  have  formerly  enjoyed 
•all  the  advantages  of  the  soutfieru  latitudes.  Gmelin  supposes,  that  vast  inun- 
dations in  the  south  had  drive0the  elephants  to  the  north,  where  they  would  all 
at  once  perish  by  the  rigour  of  the  climate.  Others  were  of  opinion  that  the  tusk 
and  skeleton  belonged  to  the  elephant,  and  the  molares  to  the  hippopotamus  ;  as 
the  grinders  were  not  those  of  the  former  :  some  thought  they  were  the  bones  of 
the  hippopotamus  only  ;  others  of  a  monster  of  the  ocean ;  and  the  ahbe  Clavjjrero 
pays,  "  that  they  may,  from  what  appears,  have  belonged  to  giants  of  the  human, 
as  well  as  of  any  other,  race."  Jefferson  asserts  "  that  the  skeleton  of  the  mam- 
moth bespeaks  an  animal  of  five  or  six  times  the  cubit  volume  of  the  elephant ; 
•and  that  the  grinders  are  five  times  as  large,  are  square,  and  the  grinding  surface 
studded  with  four  or  five  rows  of  blunt  points,  whereas  those  of  the  elephant  are 
broad  and  thin,  and  their  grinding  surface  flat."  To  mention  all  the  hypotheses 
und  fables  which  this  subject  has  produced,  would  be  useless,  and  consume  too 
much  time  ;  but  1  cannot  omit  stating  two  or  three  more  on  account  of  their 
whimsical  absurdity.  One  writer  says  that  the  bones  in  question  are  the  remain* 
of  certain  angelic  beings,  the  original  tenants  of  this  our  terrestrial  globeT  in  its 
primitive  state,  till,  for  their  transgressions,  both  were  involved  in  ruin,  after 
which  this  shattered  planet  was  refitted  for  its  present  inhabitants.  Another 
imagines  that  at  some  remote  period,  the  place  in  which  the  bones  were  found 
might  have  laid  in  the  track  of  a  conqueror  unknown  to  the  historians  of  Eu- 
rope ;  that  it  might  have  been  the  scene  of  a  battle,  and  the  animals  in  question 
part  of  the  baggage  train  destroyed  by  slaughter  or  disease,  and  left  in  the  hurry 
of  flight,  or  of  pursuit,  to  puzzle  and  set  at  defiance  generations  then  unborn. 

Within  a  few  years  a  better  opportunity  has  been  afforded  of  forming  just 
conclusions  respecting  this  animal.  Within  the  extent  of  a  few  miles  nine  or  ten 
skeletons  have  been  discovered  at  the  bottom  of  marl  pits,  in  Orange  and  Ulster 
Bounties,  and  (from  the  calcarious  nature  of  the  substance  in  which  they  were 
(Deposited)  in  a  high  state  of  preservation.  One  of  these  skeletons  has  been 
mounted  and  placed  in  its  natural  form,  and  with  almost  all  the  bones,  in  Peak's 
Museum,  in  Philadelphia.  Its  height  over  the  shoulders  is  eleven  feet  j  over 
:.he  hips,  nine  feet ;  from  the  chin  to  the  rump,  fifteen  feet ;  from  the  point  of  the 
risks  to  the  end  of  the  tail,  following  the  curve,  thirty-one  feet ;  length  in  a 


62  MJTUS   AMJ 

straight  line,  seventeen  feet ;  length  of  the  tusks,  ten  feet  seven  inches ;  weigliC 
of  a  grinder,  four  pounds  ten  ounces;  of  the  whole  skeleton,  one  thousand 
pounds. 

In  1799,  upon  the  shores  of  the  Frozen  Ocean,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Leue,  in  Siberia,  a  toungouse  chief  discovered,  in  the  midst  of  a  rock  of  ice,  a 
fubstance  which  did  not  resemble  the  floating  pieces  of  wood  usually  found  there: 
he  endeavoured  in  vain  to  discover  what  it  was  at  that  time  :  about  the  close  of 
the  second  summer  the  melting  of  the  ice  enabled  him  to  know  that  it  was  a 
mammoth  ;  but  he  could  not  succeed  in  obtaining  the  tusks  of  the  animal  until 
the  end  of  the  5th  year,  when  the  ice  which  endtosed  it,  having  partly  melted, 
the  level  became  sloped,  and  this  enorin  >us  mass,  pushed  forward  by  its  own 
weight,  fell  over  upon  its  side  on  a  sand  bank.  In  March,  1804,  the  chief 
SchoumachofF  obtained  the  tusks  and  sold  them  for  fifty  roubles.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1806,  Michael  Adams,  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  St.  Petersburg!], 
visited  the  mammoth  in  company  with  the  chief,  and  found  it  iu  a  very  mutilated 
state  The  proprietor  was  content  with  the  profit,  he  had  already  derived  from 
it,  and  the  jakouts  of  the  neighbourhood  tore  off  the  flesh,  with  which  they  fed 
their  dogs.  Ferocious  animals,  white  bears  of  the  north  pole,  gluttons,  wolves . 
and  foxes,  'preyed  upon  it  also,  and  their  burrows  were  seen  in  the  neighbour 
hood.  The  skeleton,  almost  completely  unfleshed  was  entire,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  of  the  forefeet.  The  spindyle,  from  the  head  to  the  oscoccygis,  a 
shoulder  blade,  the  pelvis,  and  the  remains  of  the  three  extremities,  were  still 
tightly  attached  by  the  ligaments  of  the  joints,  and  by  strips  of  skin  on  the  exte- 
rior side  of  the  carcass.  The  head  was  covered  with  a  dry  skia  ;  one  of  the  ear?, 
•well  preserved,  was  furnished  with  u  tufl  of  bristles.  The  eyes  were  also  pre- 
served, and  the  ball  of  the  left  eye  could  be  distinguished  The  tip  of  the 
tinder  lip  had  been  eaten  away,  and  the  upper  pan  being  destroyed,  exhibited 
tine  teeth.  The  brain  was  still  in  the  cranium,  but  it  appeared  dry.  The  parts 
least  damaged  •vvere  a  forefoot  and  a  hind  ope,, covered  with  skin,  and  having 
still  the  sole  attached.  According  to  the  assertion  of  tfie  chief,  the  animal  had 
'been  so  large  and  well  fed,  that  its  belly  hung  down  below  the  knee  joints.  This; 
•animal  was  a  male,  with  a  long  mane  at  its  neck  ;  but  it  had  no  tail,  and  no  trunk. 
The  skin,  three  fourths  of  which  mr.  Adams  took  wjth  Kim,  is  a  deep  gray,  and 
covered  with  a  reddish  hair,  and  black  bristles,  and  vya ;  of  such  extraordinary 
weight,  that  ten  persons  moved  it  with  threat  difficulty.  Ths  entire  carcass  (the 
hones  of  which  he  collected  on  the  spot,  and  the  tusks  he  afterwards  procured)  i$ 
abont  nine  feet  high  and  fourteen  feet  long,  english  measure,  from  the  tip  of  the 
?K>se  to  the  coccyx  ;  without,  however,  comprehending  the  two  horns,  or  tusks, 
each  of  which  is  a  toise  and  a  half  long,  and  both  together  weigh  four  hundred 
Th°  head  alooe  weighs  fw-  hundred  and  °'-<ty  pojinu^,  Mr. 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  63 

collected  from  the  sand  bonk  more-  than  forty  pounds  of  tLe  bristles  which  the 
white  bears  might  have  trodden  into  the  wet  ground  on  devouring  the  flesh. 
Some  of  the  hair  was  presented  to  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  of  Paris,  .md 
on  examination  it  was  found  to  consist  of  three  distinct  kinds  ;  one  of  these  is 
stifF  black  bristles,  two  feet  in  length  ;  another  is  thinner  bristles  of  coarse  flexible 
hair,  of  a  reddish  brown  colour,  and  the  third  is  a  course  reddish  brown  wool 
which  grew  among  the  roots  of  the  long  h*air;  affording,  according  to  Cuvier,  an 
undeniable  proof  that  this  animal  has  belonged  to  a  race  of  elephants  inhabiting 
*  cold  region.  See  an  Account  of  a  Journey  to  the  Frozen  Seas,  and  of  the 
Discovery  of  the  Remains  of  a  Mammoth,  by  Michael  Adams  of  St.  Petersburg^ 
in  the  29th  volume  of  Tilljck's  Philosophical  Magazine  ;  and  Cuvier^s  Ftsay  on 
the  Theory  of  the  Earth,  translated  by  Jc  meson. 

Mr.  Adams  was  persuaded,  from  the  presence  of  the  coccyx,  which  finishes  U»e 
vertebral  column,  that  this  animal  had  a  very  short  and  thick  tail,  like  its  feet. 
He  also  states  that  its  teeth  are  harder,  heavier,  and  more  twisted  in  a  different 
direction,  than  the  teeth  of  an  elephant ;  that  he  has  seeu  some  of  their  tusks, 
which  formed,  in  their  curvature,  three  fourths  of  a  circle,  and  one  of  the  length  <rf 
two  toises  and  a  half,  two  feet  thick  near  the  root,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty 
pounds  weight ;  that  the  animal  is  covered  with  a  very  thick  hair  through  the 
whole  body,  and  has  a  long  mane  upon  its  neck ;  and  he  believes,  that,  although 
no  trunk  was  found,  yet  that  it  had  one  which  was  carried  offby  wild  beasts;  for 
it  would  be  inconceivable  that  it  could  eat  with  so  small  a  snout  and  with  such 
enormous  tusks  without  a  proboscis  ;  and  he  fully  believes  that  it  is  quite  dif- 
ferent from  that  found  in  Ulster  county  in  this  state. 

M.  Humboldt,  in  his  letters  dated  Lima,  1202,  to  C.  Delambres,  one  of  the 
perpetual  secretaries  of  the  National  Institute,  says,  "  Beside  the  elephants' 
teeth  which  we  sent  to  G.  Cuvier,  from  the  land  of  Santa  Fee,  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty  toises  ir,  height,  we  have  preserved  for  him  others  more 
beautiful  :  some  of  the  carnivorous  elephant,  and  others  of  a  species  a  little  dii- 
ferent  from  those  of  Africa,  brought  from  the  valley  of  Timaney,  the  town  of 
Iborra,  and  from  Chili.  Here,  then,  we  have  confirmed  the  existence  of  that 
carnivorous  monster  from  the  river  Ohio,  from  fifty  degrees  northern  latitude 
to  thirty  five  degrees  south  latitude." 

u  Near  Santa  Fee  there  are  found,  in  the  Campo  de  Gigante,  at  the  height  of 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy  toises,  an  immense  number  of  fossil  ele 
phants'  bones,  both  of  the  african  species  and  of  the  carnivous  kind,  discovered 
near  the  Ohio.  We  caused  several  to  be  dug  up,  and  have  sent  some  specimen 
of  them  to  the  National  Institute.  I  much  doubt  whether  any  of  these  bones 
were  ever  before  found  at  such  a  great  height :  since  that  time  I  have  received 
two  from  a  place  of  the  Andes,  situated  about  two  degrees  of  latitude  from  Quito 


t>i  NO'JVCS  ANJp 

and  Chili ;  so  that  I  can  prove  the  existence  and  destruction  of  these  gigantic 
elephants,  from  the  Ohio  to  the  country  of  the  Patagonians."  Philosophical 
Magazine^  vol.  16. 

The  discoveries  of  such  enormous  remains  turned  the  attention  of  philosophers 
to  the  living  elephants,  and  it  has  been  satisfactorily  established,  that  there  are 
two  distinct  species  of  them ;  whereas  before  they  were  considered  varieties  ; 
the  asiatic,  denominated  elephas  indicus,  and  the  african,  termed  elephas  ca- 
pensis.  The  elephas  capensis  has  the  front  of  the  head  convex  and  inclined,  the 
tusks  larger,  and  the  perpendicular  layers  of  enamel,  which,  with  the  softer  os- 
seous matter,  compose  the  grinders,  exhibiting  on  the  top  or  worn  surface  a  num- 
ber of  rhomboidal  spaces,  and  which  are  equally  observable  in  a  transverse  sec- 
tion of  the  tooth.  The  elephas  indicus  is  larger  j  the  front  of  the  skull,  instead 
of  being  convex,  is  deeply  concave,  and  the  upper  part  so  dilated  as  to  exhibit 
two  pyramidal  elevations :  and  the  grinders  have  the  enamel  layers  disposed  in 
the  osseous  substance,  in  distinct  transverse  parrallel  lines,  instead  of  rhomboidal 
compartments.  Its  height  appears  to  be  from  ten  to  fourteen  feet,  and  one  of 
~Jhe  larger  size  is  generally  about  sixteen  feet  long,  from. the  front  to  the  origin 
of  the  tail.  The  circumference  of  the  neck  seventeen  feet,  and  of  the  body,  in 
its  most  dilated  part,  about  twenty  six  feet.  The  legs  are  short,  and  about  six 
feet  in  circumference ;  the  tail  slender,  and  about  six  feet  long.  These  are  the 
dimensions  of  the  large  elephants,  and  exceed  those  of  the  ordinary  size  by  near- 
;y  one  third. 

The  mammoth  of  New  York,  although  bearing  some  general  resemblance  to 
the  elephant,  differs  from  it  in  the  general  figure  j  in  the  tusks,  formation  of  the 
head,  prominence  and  pointedness  of  the  back  over  the  shoulders,  its  great  de- 
scent thence  to  the  hips,  together  with  the  comparative  smallness  of  the  body  j 
there  are  proofs  of  greater  activity  also  in  the  structure  of  the  thigh  bones,  and 
;he  formation  of  the  ribs;  which  arc  peculiar,  and  indicative  of  greater  strength. 
It  also  differs  in  the  magnitude  of  the  spines  of  the  back ;  the  proportionate, 
length  of  the  processes  from  the  spine  of  the  scapula  {  the  thickness  and  strength 
of  all  the  bones,  particularly  of  the  limbs  ;  the  teeth,  which  are  of  the  carnivo- 
rous kind ;  its  under  jaw,  which  is  distinctly  angular,  instead  of  being  semicircu- 
lar, as  in  the  elephant,  beside  several  other  striking  distinctions.  There  can  be 
little  doubt  but  that  it  is,  therefore,  at  least,  specifically  distinct  from  the  ele- 
phant. Philosophical  Magazine,  PcaZe's  account,  vol.  14. 

The  examination  of  the  asiatic  mammoth  has  also  settled  the  question-as  to 
its  identity  with  the  araerican.  They  are  considered  as  specifically,  if  not 
generically,  different. 

JJlumenbach  has  termed  the  asiatic  mammoth  elephas  primaevus,Jor  primogenus, 
ami!  the  amerknii  mammoth  the  elepha?  amcricmiu?.  drier  calls  it  the 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  65 

iodontus,  which  name  has  been  adopted  by  dr.  Barton.  In  the  memoirs  of  the 
Xational  Institute,  Cuvier  describes  the  former  elephas  mammonteus,  maxilla 
obtusiore,  lamellis  molarium  tenuibus  rectis ;  and  the  latter  he  characterizes  as 
follows  .  elephas  americanus,  molaribus  multi-cuspidibus,  lamellis  post  detrition- 
em  quadrilobalis.  In  his  opinion  neither  of  them  ar2  the  same  as  the  existing 
elephant;  and  he  considers  them  as  extinct.  Scitnces  Phys.  et  Mat  II. 

Mr.  Tilesius  sent  to  dr.  Barton  of  Philadelphia  some  fine  large  drawings  of 
the  mammoth,  described  by  Adams  as  found  near  the  mouth  of  the  Lena,  where- 
by he  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  comparing  it  with  Peale's  ;  and  he  is  of 
opinion,  that  although  very  different  from  the  ohio  animal,  yet  that  there  are 
great  and  striking  affinities.  In  opposition  to  Cuvier  he  believes  that  the  ohio 
bones  bespeak  an  animal  not  generically  different  from  the  elephant ;  that,  al- 
though in  the  general  form  of  the  molares  and  the  disposition  of  the  vitreous 
body  or  enamel  upon  and  through  them,  the  ohio  mammoth  differs  materially 
from  the  extinct  as  well  as  the  existing  elephants  of  the  old  world  ;  and  there  is, 
in  this  respect,  a  much  greater  affinity  between  the  asiatic  mammoth,  and  the  exist- 
ing asiatic  elephant,  than  between  either  them  and  the  ohio,  or  american,  mam 
moth ;  yet  there  are  several  other  characters  in  which  the  resemblance  is  much 
closer  between  the  ohio  animal  and  the  asiatic  mammoth,  than  between  the 
latter  and  the  asiatic  elephant;  and  that  one  of  these  characters  consists  in  the 
great  resemblance  of  the  incisores,  tusks,  or  horns.  Dr.  Barton  is  further  of 
opinion  that  the  asiatic  mammoth  has  been  discovered  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States  ;  and  that  a  branch  of  the  Susquehannah  receives  its  name  of  Che- 
mung  from  the  incisores  of  one  of  these  animals.  Port  Folio,  vol.  4.  Barton's 
Lftttr  to  Jefferson. 

Governor  Pownall,  in  a  paper  published  in  the  Philosophical  Magazine,  (vol. 
14.)  after  having  viewed  a  skeleton  of  the  New- York  mammoth,  exhibited  by 
mr.  Peale  in  London,  is  of  opinion  that  it  was  a  marine  animal,  from  the  fol- 
lowing circumstances : 

1.  Its  being  carnivorous,  and  its  enormous  bulk  would,  therefore,  require  a 
supply  of  animal  food  from  the  earth  which  it  could  not  get,  and  which  could 
only  be  found  in  the  abundance  of  the  waters. 

2.  He  thinks  there  are  parts  in  the  debris  of  the  skull  which  have  some 
comparative  resemblance  to  the  whale  as  to  the  purpose  of  breathing  under  wa- 
ter ;  that  the  width  of  the  jaws  is  similar  to  that  of  fish ;  and  that  the  ribs,  more 
similar  to  those  of  fish  than  to  those  of  terrestrial  animal*,  are,  by  their  construc- 
tion and  position,  ordained  to  resist  a  more  forcible  external  compression  than 
the  atmosphere  creates. 

3.  That  the  neck  is  co  short  that  the  animal  could  not  reach  the  ground  with 

1 


$6  NOTES  AN» 

its  mouth,  the  line  from  the  withers  to  the  end  of  the  under  jaw  being  about  •ne> 
third  of  the  line  from  the  withers  to  the  ground. 

Mr.  Peale  says,  that  there  are  many  reasons  to  suppose  that  he  was  of  an  am- 
phibious nature,  and  is  decidedly  of  opinion  that  he  lived  entirely  on  flesh  or  fish. 

I  fancy  that  while  some  may  be  willing  to  concur  with  nor.  Peale  as  to  its  am- 
phibious nature,  few  will  agree  with  Pownall  in  its  being  an  aquatic  animal. 
The  shortness  of  its  neck  might  have  been  supplied  by  a  trunk.  The  points 
wherein  it  resembles  in  its  formation  certain  fish,  are  only  indicative  of  amazing 
strength ;  and  there  is  no  strong  objection  to  believe  that  it  was  also  graminivor- 
ous, and  drew  its  supplies  from  the  vegetable  as  well  as  the  animal  kingdom. 

Upon  the  whole  we  may,  with  considerable  confidence,  come  to  the  following 
conclusions : 

1.  That  the  asiatic  and  african  living  elephants  and  Siberian  mammoth  are 
specifically  distinct. 

2.  That  the  New -York,   Ohio,  or  american  mammoth  is  specifically,  if  not 
generically,  different  from  them. 

3.  That  it  was  carnivorous,  and  lived  upon  the  land. 

4.  That  it  may  have  also  been  graminivorous  or  omnivorous,  and  amphibious. 

5.  That  it  was  not  of  a  larger  size  than  the  living  elephant :  and,  lastly,  that 
it  is  extinct.     And  let  not  this  latter  assertion  be  deemed  incompatible  with  the 
designs  of  the  deity.     Individuals  perish,  and  why  not  species  and  genera  ?     The 
dispensations  of  providence  are  above  the  reach  of  human  sagacity  :  much  less 
can  we  object  the  fanciful  system  of  the  arabian  metaphysicians,  adopted  by 
Pope  in  his  Essay  on  Man,  and  exhibited  in  the  following  beautiful  lines  : 

"  See,  through  this  air,  this  ocean,  and  this  earth, 
All  matter  quick,  and  bursting  into  birth. 
Above,  how  high,  progressive  life  may  go  f 
Around,  how  wide  !  how  deep  extend  below  ! 
Vast  chain  of  being  !  which  from  God  began, 
Nature's  ethereal,  human,  angel,  man. 
Beast,  bird,  fish,  insect,  what  no  eye  can  see, 
]$o  glass  can  reach ;  from  infinite  to  thee — 
From  thee  to  nothing.     On  superior  powers 
Were  we  to  press,  inferior  might  on  ours  j 
Or  in  the  full  creation  leave  a  void, 
Where,  one  step  broken,  the  great  scale's  destroy'd. 
From  nature's  chain,  whatever  link  you  strike, 
Tenth,  or  ten  thousandth,  breaks  the  chain  alike  '* 


JLLLVSTRATI«\jS.  67 

i  jus  doctrine  of  a  chain  of  being  is  equally  a  superstition  of  philosophy  and  a 
tlream  of  poetry.  Many  links  have  been  broken  in  this  imaginary  chain ;  many 
species  have  been  destroyed,  and  yet  the  harmony  of  nature  has  not  been  dis- 
turbed. The  indefatigable  Cuvier  has  classed  the  fossil  remains  of  seventy-eight 
different  quadrupeds,  of  which  forty-nine  are  distinct  species  hitherto  unknown 
to  naturalists. 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  received  the  following  well-written  and  inge.- 
nious  letter  from  a  gentleman  who  was  present  when  the  skeleton  mounted  io 
Peale's  Museum  was  discovered,  and  whose  knowledge  of  the  subject  and  the 
surrounding  country  has  given  such  an  interest  to  the  communication  that  I  hav*i 
thought  fit  to  insert  it  at  large. 

DEAR    SIR, 

At  the  Introductory  Discourse  delivered  by  you  to  the  "  Literary  and  PhUo> 
sophical  Society  of  New  York"  I  was  present,  and  highly  gratified  at  the  organ- 
ization of  that  society.  It  is  gratifying  to  perceive  institutions  of  this  nature, 
having  for  their  object  useful  information,  springing  up  at  a  period  of  national 
peril  and  pressure.  Th«  acquisitions  of  science,  in  such  times,  and  the  devoted- 
ness  to  research,  under  such  circumstances,  are  unerring  evidences  of  the  ad- 
vancement of  learning  in  our  country. 

The  sources  of  information  in  our  own  state,  as  well  as  those  of  the  country 
generally,  afforded  peculiar  gratification  to  your  delighted  auditory.  Amongst 
•ther  objects  and  discoveries  of  importance,  the  remarks  on  the  fossil  bones  ot 
the  mammoth  discovered  in  our  state  particularly  attracted  my  attention.  Con- 
ceiving that  a  further  development  of  this  discovery  might  be  interesting,  and 
that  the  facts  concerning  it  may  be  proper,  I  have  ventured  to  address  you  this 
letter. 

If  the  disclosures  I  shall  make,  and  the  opinions  I  may  suggest,  can  be  of  use  to 
you,  they  are  very  much  at  your  service.  Should  they  be  of  no  other  use  they 
may  indicate  to  the  more  acute  observer,  where  are  occult  objects  worthy  of 
philosophical  scrutiny  and  investigation. 

Having  participated  in  the  procuring  of  those  fossils  and  professing  to  be  well 
acquainted  with  their  discovery,  as  also  the  topography  of  the  circumjacen* 
country,  I  shall  proceed  to  give  you  a  plain  detail  of  the  facts  in  relation  thereto. 

The  first  discovery  of  these  fossils  was  made  in  the  town  of  Montgomery,  in 
the  county  of  Orange,  about  thirty  years  since,  by  the  reverend  mr.  Annin 
The  place  of  discovery  was  in  a  sunken  and  miry  meadow;  in  digging  a  ditch  to  car- 
ry off  the  excess  of  water,  several  of  the  harder  parts  or  bones  of  the  mammoth 
skeleton  were  dscovered ;  these  were  the  ribs,  two  teeth,  CjrrinderO  and  prr-f 


68  VOTES  AND 

of  the  thigh  bone  ;  the  teeth  and  ribs  were  in  a  very  sound  state  ;  but  the  oilier 
were  considerably  decayed,  and  an  exposure  to  the  air  had  such  an  affect  upon 
thenft  as  to  render  their  preservation  useless.  Subsequent  to  that  time  several 
scattered  remains  of  skeletons  of  the  same  animal  have  been  discovered ;  but 
from  carelessness,  or  other  causes,  these  have  been  lost.  The  speculations  of 
persons  who  saw  these  phenomena  were  various,  and,  in  some  ii^tances,  ridicu- 
lous, affording  no  rational  improvement  to  the  naturalist.  The  advancement  in 
agriculture,  which  began  to  show  itself  in  the  counties  of  Orange  and  Ulster  at 
this  period,  while  it  enriched  the  husbandman,  and  beautified  the  country,  was 
the  cause  of  other  discoveries  of  this  nature  j  drew  the  subject  before  the 
public,  attracted  the  immediate  attention  of  literary  men,  and  led  to  the  exer- 
tions of  the  enterprising  inr.  Peale  of  Philadelphia  who  procured  two  skeletons 
of  these  non-descript  animals  nearly  entire  j  by  the  ingenuity  and  enterprise  qf 
that  gentleman,  these  hidden  treasures  of  natural  history  were  brought  to  public 
view  to  astonish  and  delight  the  sons  of  science.  At  the  time  of  this  discovery 
it  was  my  lot  to  be  in  the  vicinity,  and  to  contribute  my  exertions  in  taking  them 
from  their  hidden  depositories.  The  parts  of  these  fossils  heretofore  discovered 
had  excited  an  interest  far  short  of  their  importance.  The  numbers  being  now 
increased,  and  a  spirit  of  inquiry  set  on  foot,  excited  a  high  degree  of  pub- 
lic interest.  The  big  banes  (as  they  were  called)  were  exposed  for  show,  and 
persons,  from  various  motives,  in  great  numbers,  flocked  to  behold  this  hereto- 
fore hidden  wonder.  Having  had  an  agency  in  prosecuting  this  research,  and  of 
bringing  the  fossils  to  light,  I  wrote  to  dr.  Mitchell  a  short  account  of  their 
magnitude  ;  the  place  of  their  discovery  ;  the  nature  of  the  earth  ;  &c.  &c.  which 
that  gentleman,  with  his  learned  co-editors  of  the  Medical  Repository,  thought 
worthy  of  a  place  in  that  excellent  register  of  discoveries  and  of  science.  By  a 
reference  to  that  document  the  magnitude  of  the  particular  parts  of  the  skeleton 
will  be  found.  It  is,  however,  unnecessary  to  insert  them  here  as  you  have  other 
sources  of  information  which  will  lead  to  a  more  accurate  and  general  result. 

The  nature  and  formation  of  this  mammoth  country,  as  well  as  the  particular 
places  where  those  animals  were  found,  may  possibly  be  interesting;  and  to  this 
object  I  shall  devote  a  few  general  remarks. 

The  only  fossils  of  this  skeleton  which  have  been  discovered,  have  been  found 
in  wet  and  miry  lands,  in  the  towns  of  Montgomery  and  Shawangunk.  The 
former  in  Orange,  and  the  latter  in  Ulster  county,  in  this  state  :  about  eighty 
miles  distant  from  this  city,  and  from  six  to  twelve  miles  from  Newburgh,  on  the 
Hudson  river. 

In  a  western  direction?  from  the  Hudson  for  some  five  or  six  miles,  the 
ground  rises  gradually,  but  perceptibly,  until  you  come  to  the  confines  of  Colden- 
hara ;  the  waters  running  easterly  until  you  arrive  here,  aow  take  the  contrary 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  69 

direction  ;  and  turning  westerly,  are  disembogued  into  a  considerable  stream 
known  by  the  name  of  Wall  kill,  and  sometimes  the  Paltz  river.  On  the  high- 
lands at  Coldenham  you  perceive  a  range  of  high  mountains,  known  by  the  name 
of  •'  Shawangunk  Mountains  ;"  from  whence  the  waters  run  easterly,  and  falling 
into  the  Wall  kill,  are  carried  into  the  Hudson  river,  at  the  strand,  near  Kingston, 
In  Ulster  county,  about  one  hundred  and  twelve  miles  distant  from  Kew-York. 

These  mountains  on  the  west,  and  a  ridge  of  highlands  on  the  east,  form  a  na- 
tural valley,  of  very  considerable  extent,  varying  in  breadth  from  thirty-five  in 
the  southern  to  the  northern  extremity  of  about  three  miles.  The  for- 
mation and  nature  of  this  country  has  nothing  to  characterize  it  from  other  parts 
of  our  state  in  the  middle  district  :  the  woods  and  forest  trees,  the  grasses  and 
productions  of  every  kind,  are  those  which  are  indigenous  to  various  parts  of  the 
state,  and  to  all  the  adjacent  counties. 

The  general  formation  of  this  country  is  smooth,  marked  by  some  hills  of  se- 
condary altitude,  is  susceptible  of  yielding  every  kind  of  produce  cultivated  in 
northern  climates.  The  immense  quantities  of  what  is  generally  termed  Goshen 
butter,  is  made  in  this  valley  ;  and  on  the  lands  between  it  and  the  Hudson  river, 
extending  from  New  Cornwall,  situate  at  the  northern  entrance  into  the  high- 
lands, to  the  point  of  land  called  the  Danse  Kaumer,  in  the  town  of  Marlborougb. 
In  all  this  district  of  country  the  pasturage  is  luxuriant  and  excellent ;  and  affords 
a  greedy  repast  for  black  cattle,  sheep,  <tc.  \Vhether  the  high  flavour  of  the  but- 
ter made  in  this  vicinity  is  owing  to  the  peculiar  qualities  of  the  pasturage,  or  to 
the  particular  manner  of  making  it,  is  a  matter  of  doubt. 

The  growing  of  hemp  at  the  southwestern  part  of  Orange  county,  has,  of  late 
years,  been  a  favourite  and  profitable  pursuit  with  the  proprietors  of  a  large  tract 
of  land  heretofore  covered  with  an  extensive  sheet  of  stagnant  water,  known  by 
the  name  of  The  Dronned  Lands.  This  has,  of  late  years,  been  partly  drained 
by  commissioners  authorized  by  law  to  open  aqueducts  at  the  outlet  into  the 
Wall  kill.  Their  enterprise  has  been  reasonably  successful,  and  the  general  opin- 
ion of  the  best  informed  men,  seems  to  be,  that  their  labours  will  be  ultimately 
crowned  with  sue  .-ess.  In  this  event  a  tract  of  between  twenty  and  thirty  thous- 
and acres  of  land  will  yield  to  the  proprietors  a  rich  reward  for  their  agricultur- 
al labours. 

Within  the  precincts  of  the  country  here  described,  there  are  also  many  curious 
and  valuable  productions  ;  Ochres  of  various  colours  and  qualities  are  found  in 
the  neighbouring  mountains,  and  in  the  environs  are  great  quantities  of  iron  and 
•>ther  ores  j  chalybeate  springs  and  other  mineral  waters  are  also  very  common 
It  will  be  seen  from  this  succinct  account  of  the  country,  that  whether  the 
mammoth  delighted  in  the  fertile  plain,  in  the  low  and  sunken  meadow,  or  swaui^ ; 
or  in  the  lofty  and  craggy  mountains,  or  in  all  of  them,  the  variety  of  the  ?c:' 


NO* KS AN* 

and  formation  of  the  country,  afford  a  gratification  to  all  his  natural  inclinations 
and  propensities. 

I  do  not,  however,  knOAv  that  the  raarl  discovered  in  abundance  in  Ulster  and 
Orange  counties  has  been  found  in  their  neighbourhood  ;  and  it  is  proper  to  re 
mark,  that  in  these  sunken  receptacles  of  vegetable  and  testaceous  solutions,  have 
•niformly  been  found  the  bones  of  the  mammoth.  Perhaps  it  maybe  said,  that 
fti  this  marl,  by  its  alkaline  qualities,  has  the  preservation  of  these  fossils  alone 
been  preserved  from  dissolution  and  decay.  The  formation  of  these  has  evident- 
ly been  the  work  of  ages.  In  many  places  the  body  of  this  manure  is  thirty  feel 
in  depth ;  over  which  grass  and  vegetable  plants,  interspersed  with  trees  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  common  to  such  grounds,  grew  in  abundance.  In  these  places  are 
uniformly  found  living  springs,  and  abundance  of  snails  and  muscles,  which,  with 
vegetable  substances,  constitute  the  marl  of  different  colours  and,  (in  some 
respects)  qualities. 

It  may  not  be  improper  here  to  add  a  few  remarks  on  the  subject  of  this  natu- 
ral manure,  which  sooner  or  later  cannot  fail  to  be  a  source  of  wealth  to  the  agri- 
culturalist. The  use  of  it  has  heretofore  been  superseded  by  the  introduction  of 
gypsum,  on  account  of  the  cheapness  of  the  litter ;  but  interruptions  of  commerce 
have  already  very  considerably  enhanced  the  value  of  this  article ;  and  the  dis- 
tance of  transportation  of  that  discovered  in  the  western  parts  of  this  state,  must 
aecessarily  put  it  at  a  price  much  higher  than  usual  to  our  farmers. 

The  marl  here  discovered  is  constituted  principally  of  the  solutions  of  small 
shells  of  the  muscle  and  of  the  snail  families;  it  is  mixed  with  a  proportionate  quan- 
tity of  vegetable  substances,  such  as  leaves,  roots,  &c  which  find  their  way  by  the 
winds  into  the  waters  of  these  swampy,  wet  places  :  these  sink  to  the  bottom  of 
the  water,  and  the  snails  and  muscles  deposite  their  ova  or  sperm  upon  them  ;  and 
the  returning  spring,  by  its  genial  warmth  and  natural  process  brings  them  forth. 
They  grow  for  the  season,  and  in  the  autumn  again  deposite  their  ova  or  sperm  up- 
on the  fragments  of  vegetables,which  find  their  way  iuto  these  watery  habitations. 
I  do  not  know  what  the  theory  of  conchoiogists  may  be,  as  to  the  procreation  of 
these  shellfish  ;  nor  am  1  at  all  versed  in  this  kind  of  natural  history  ;  but  taking 
the  facts  as  I  have  witnessed  them,  I  feel  authorized  to  give  this  as  a  theory  re- 
sulting from  actual  and  personal  observations.  If  a  better  can  be  offered  by  others, 
I  am  contented  ;  but,  nntil"then,  I  trust  it  may  be  insisted  that  thit  is  a  reasonable 
explanation  of  the  formation  of  marl.  By  this  theory  it  will  be  perceived  that 
the  quantities  of  marl  are  continually  increasing  ;  a  fact  of  great  importance  to 
the  inhabitants  and  owners  of  the  soil.  It  may  be  proper  to  mention,  also,  that 
this  marl  lies  in  different  places  in  the  vicinity  of  the  depositories  of  these  bones ; 
and  that,  as  yet,  little  use  has  been  made  of  it  as  a  manure  ;  the  high  price  of 
r-ibour  has  hitherto  prevented  the  farmer  from  having  recourse  to  this  ottrce  oC 


ILLVSTRATtOXS.  74 

health,  while  he  could  enrith  his  lands  so  much  more  readily  and  cheaply  by 
the  use  of  plaister  of  Paris  or  gypsum,  as  before  explained.  Within  a  circle, 
the  radius  of  which  does  not  exceed  six  miles,  there  are  several  hundred  acres  of 
marl ;  a  very  small  proportion  of  this  has  been  explored  or  dug  to  the  bottom, 
where  the  fossil  bones  have  uniformly  been  discovered.  By  the  force  of  theii 
own  weight,  they  have  naturally  sunk  through  the  soft  substance  and  found  rest 
many  feet  below,  on  solid  or  harder  ground.  And  yet  within  the  periphery  of  this 
circle,  nine  skeletons  of  these  prodigious  animals  have  been  discovered  !  It  may 
certainly  be  safely  computed,  that  not  one  hundredth  part  has  been  explored  to 
the  bottom.  If  then,  so  many  have  been  found  in  30  small  a  proportion  of  this 
mammoth  ground  ;  and  admitting  that  there  has  been  gre.it  good  fortune  in  fall 
ing  upon  their  place  of  rest,  does  it  not  afford  a  most  reasonable  hypothesis  to 
say,  that  there  are  vast  numbers  of  these  natural  curiosities  deposited  here  for 
future  discoveries  j  and  that  at  some  period  our  country  (in  this  district)  was  ful- 
ly inhabited  by  this  stupendous  animal. 

The  discoveries  being  altogether  in  a  particular  kind  and  character  of  ground 
afford  reasonable  inferences  as  to  the  nature  and  appetites  of  the  animal.  Tb,e 
formation  and  the  quantities  of  marl  and  other  productions,  furnish  also  int< 
resting  calculations  in  chronology. 

Anterior  to  the  substances  and  productions  now  occupying  the$e  places,  they 
have  been  covered  by  slieets  of  stagnant  waters.  These  have  afforded  a  vari- 
ety of  herbage  and  grass,  which  delight  in  water  and  wet  soils  and  have  abound 
ed  in  different  species  of  shell  and  other  fishes.  The  various  genera  and  speciis 
of  amphibious  animals,  which  were  known  to  have  been  common  to  au  uninhab- 
ited or  uncivilized  country,  have  had  their  residence  in  these  tracts  of  wild  and. 
savage  wildernesses. 

The  graminivorous,  or  carnivorous,  appetites  of  the  non  descript  could  ha*^ 
found  an  early  or  rich  repast  in  these  particular  places  ;  where  the  voracious 
cravings  of  hunger  may  have  urged  him  in  the  pursuit,  arrested  by  quagmires, 
and  terminating,  in  death  ! 

My  reflections  on  these  subjects  may  appear  chimerical  and  visioaary  ;  but  a 
full  knowledge  of  the  facts  I  relate,  careful  and  candid  reflections,  under  all  the 
circumstances  accompanying  these  phenomena,  have  led  me  to  a  firm  and  unalter- 
able opinion,  that  tnese  animals  were  once  common  in  this  country ;  that  in  num- 
bers, they  equalled  the  other  beasts  of  the  forest ;  such  as  the  fcear,  the  wolf, 
the  panther,  c«;c.  &c.  in  the  proportion  which  larger  animals  bear  to  the  smaller, 
ia  the  order  of  nature.  Should  my  opinion  be  reasonable,  and  founded  ic  faot 
it  leads  the  mind  to  a  variety  of  astonishing  and  curious  results  ! 

Why,  in  the  dispensations  of  an  overruling  providence,  should  these  animal? 
ofl^e  bare  been  created,  and  ejsisted  in  vast  numbers,  now  fee  extiort  ?  ar,  at  aU 


72  NOTES  AND 

events,  expelled  from  any  known  region  in  our  country?  this  becomes  a  ques- 
tion still  more  interesting  if  we  suppose  the  animals  to  have  been  carnivorous. 
That  they  were  so,  as  well  as  graminivorous,  is  pretty  well  authenticated,  by 
the  formation  of  their  grinders.  Perhaps,  to  say  they  were  omnivorous,  would 
not  be  hazardi-12,  too  iime'i.  Indeed,  my  worthy  and  learned  friend,  dr  Jame? 
G.  Graham,  who  examined  the  fossils,  went  still  further  ;  for  the  formation  of 
the  bones,  near,  and  belonging  to  the  foot,  warranted  him,  as  a  professional 
man,  in  the  belief  that  this  animal  had  claws. 

I  am  aware,  that  an  opinion  so  singular  as  this  entertained  T>y  my  learned 
friend,  dr.  Graham,  forms  an  anomaly  in  nature  ;  but  from  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  bones  of  the  foot,  the  metatarsal  bones  (as  they  are  termed  in  anat- 
omy) were  so  constituted  that  the  doctor  drew  his  conclusions  of  their  apper- 
taining to  a  clanfooted  race  of  beasts.  Nor  is  this  opinion  more  strange  than 
their  actual  existence.  For,  whether  they  are  of  a  genus  of  animals  now  un- 
known,—whether  of  the  elephantine  family,— of  the  asiatic  or  Siberian  species  ; 
the  solution  of  their  existence,  upon  any  certain  knowledge,  is  equally  difficult 
and  inexplicable. 

From  this  narrative,  you  will  be  enabled  to  possess  yourself  of  some  infonna 
lion  on  an  interesting  subject,  which  could  not  be  w. ell  or  accurately  obtained, 
except  by  viewing  the  topography  of  the  country,  and  witnessing  the  taking  out 
of  the  skeletons  ;  this  not  being  practicable  for  you  in  your  various  literary 
and  official  pursuits,  I  have  thought  a  circumstantial  narrative  worthy  of  your 
enlightened  consideration. 

Tins  subject  has  been  a  source  of  conversation  and  inquiry  amongst  men  of 
information  and  has  led  to  different  speculative  opinions.  My  friend,  the  eru- 
dite dr.  Mitchill,  appears  to  have  struck  upon  a  philosophical  explanation,  which 
is  at  c.noe  bold,  and  will  explain  the  phenomena.  By  his  refleetioas  he  places 
these  curiosities  amongst  elephantine  relics  ;  occasioned  by  the  change  of  the 
axis  of  the  globe  ninety  degrees,  at  some  very  remote  period.  By  this  hypothesis 
may  be  also  explained  the  existence  of  these  bones  and  bodies  of  animal?,  belong- 
ing to  low  and  warm  latitudes,  being  found  in  the  cold  and  frozen  climates  of 
the  earth.  That  gentleman  supposes  the  ancient  equator  to  have  extended,  in 
the  northern  hemisphere,  from  the  bay  of  Bengal,  near  where  the  mouth  of  the 
Ganges  are  through  Thibet,  Tartary,  and  Siberia,  to  the  present  North  Polo, 
and  thenre  along  in  North  America  through  the  tracts  west  of  Hudson's  Bay 
and  Lake  Superior,  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  down  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  near  its  places  of  disemboguement,  and  so  onward  across  New 
Spain  to  the  South  Sea.  That  such  was  probably  the  old  equatorial  line. 

In  corroboration  of  this  gentleman's  opinion,  he  truly  alleges,  that  under  the 
ancient  equator  have  been  found  the  remains  of  animals  peculiar  to  warra'i-li- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  73 

mates  ;  the  bones  of  the  elephant  and  the  rhinoceros  are  discovered  almost 
all  the  way  where  he  would  designate  the  ancient  equator ;  that  in  colder  lati- 
tudes the  frozen  bodies  themselves  on  the  banks  of  the  Genesee  and  the  Lena 
and  in  masses  of  ice  lying  upon  the  shores  of  the  asiatic  continent,  and  there  - 
Hbouts,  have  attracted  the  attention  of  the  naturalist;  that  in  America,  the  val- 
ley of  the  Mississippi  was  the  place  of  the  former  equator,  in  which  direction  the 
fossil  skeletons  are  most  frequent,  and  that  the  creatures  to  whom  they  belong, 
may  be  supposed  to  have  perished  at  the  grand  catastrophe  in  their  proper  and 
natural  climates ;  that  the  migration  of  the  human  race,  and  the  passage  of 
animals  from  Asia  to  America,  find  a  solution  by  this  theory  of  easy  and  rational 
comprehension. 

Dr.  Mitchill  descants  largely  and  philosophically  upon  the  causes  of  this 
change ;  but  as  these  remarks  would  be  too  voluminous  to  insert  here,  I  shall 
forbear  to  enlarge  further  on  a  subject  involving  so  many  considerations  neces- 
sary ia  the  examination  of  the  causes  and  effects  producing  such  vast  geological 
phenomena. 

This  hypothesis  of  dr.  Mitchill  will  easily  and  readily  explain  the  phenomena 
of  these,  as  well  as  of  others  found  in  our  northern  and  some  southern  regions.  And 
if  we  can  admit  that  these  skeletons  are  nothing  more  than  elephantine  relics  of 
a  well  known,  or  even  an  unknown,  species;  the  difficulties  now  presenting  them- 
selves disappear.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  reasoned  myself  into  a  different 
opinion ;  but,  after  all,  the  fact  must  remain  encompassed  with  so  many  doubts 
and  difficulties  as  to  perplex  the  learned  and  curious. 

It  is  important  abo  to  add,  that  with  the  discoveries  of  these  skeletons  have 
been  found  considerable  locks  and  tufts  of  hair :  having  been  buried  a  great 
length  of  time  in  a  calcarious  substance,  it  retained  its  natural  appearance,  and 
was  brought  to  light  in  a  tolerable  state  of  perfection  ;  the  length  was  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  inches  and  a  half,  of  a  dunnish  brown  colour.  In  one 
iustance  the  hair  was  much  longer,  measuring  from  four  to  seven  inches  in  length  ;. 
of  the  same  colour  and  resembling,  in  appearance,  the  shorter  and-was  conjec- 
tured to  have  been  the  mane  of  the  mammoth.  Whether  a  discoloration  had 
not  taken  place,  from  its  native  appearance,  must  remain  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
Ju  every  instance,  au  exposure  to  air  caused  it  to  moulder  away  into  a  kind  of 
impalpable  dust.  This  fact  would  seem  to  render  it  certain  that  the  auimal, 
ihe  relics  of  whose  body  were  here  found,  appertained  to  a  race  totally  different 
from  any  elephants  now  known  to  naturalists. 

Having  thus  detailed  to  you  the  information,  as  far  as  is  practicable  in  the  form 
of  a  letter,  permit  me  to  congratulate  you  on  the  prospect  which  ia  opzning  for 
.  scientific  research  in  our  state.  Much  has  been  done  to  elevate  the  character  of 
^nr  beloved  country  ;  but  it  is  certainly  not  saying  too  much  to  observe  that 

K 


74  NOTES  AND 

{he  field  of  enterprise  and  research,  yet  unexplored,  is  widely  expanded  awl 
requires  the  unremitted  altention  of  profoundly  learned  men,  further  to  develop 
{he  occult  treasure  of  natural  history .  Under  your  auspices,  and  the  learned 
gentlemen  associated  with  you,  1  trust  public  expectation  will  be  fully  realized 
from  the  discoveries  of"  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  of  New- York." 

Permit  me,  in  concluding  this  letter,  to  renew  to  you  the  considerations  of  my 
best  esteem ;  with  a  wish  that  the  friendly  intercourse  which  has  so  long  and 
sincerely  existed  between  us,  may  continue  until  separated  by  that  event  'which 
awaits  us  all. 

Your  very  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

SILVANUS  MILLER 
The  honourable  De  Witt  Clinton, 

President  of  the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  of  New-York. 
Nen>-Yorkt  October,  1814. 


NOTE  14. 

The  white-brown,  or  grizzly  bear,  is  of  all  colours ;  from  a  brown  to  almost  a 
perfect  white.  It  is  much  taller  and  longer  than  the  common  bear ;  the  belly 
is  more  lank.  It  runs  much  swifter,  and  its  claws,  tusks,  and  head,  are  much 
larger  and  longer,  and  it  has- a  large  tuft  on  the  back  of  its  neck.  One  was  shot 
on  Lewis  and  Clarke's  expedition,  which  weighed  between  five  and  six  hundred 
pounds  at  least ;  and  measured  eight  feet  seven  inches  and  a  half  from  the  nose  to 
the  extremity  of  the  hind  feet ;  five  feet  ten  inches  round  tlie  breast ;  three  feet 
eleven  inches  round  the  neck  ;  one  foot  eleven  inches  round  the  middle  of  the 
fore  leg;  and  his  talons*  five  on  each  foot,  were  four  inches  and  three  eighths. 
Its  talons  are  much  longer  and  more  blunt  than  those  of  the  common  bear  ;  its 
tail  shorter;  its  hair  longer,  finer,  and  more  abundant;  its  liver,  lungs,  and 
heart,  much  larger,  even  iu  proportion  to  its  size ;  the  heart  particularly,  being 
equal  to  that  of  a  large  OK  ;  its  maw  ten  times  larger  ;  its  testicles  pendent  from 
the  belly,  and  in  separate  pouches,  from  two  to  four  inches  asunder ;  whereas 
•hos«  of  the  black  bear  are  situated  back,  between  thf,  thighs,  like  a  dog's;  its 
track  in  the  mud  or  sand  has  been  seen  sometimes  eleven  inches  long,  and 
seven  and  a  quarter  wide,  exclusive  of  the  talons.  It  is  principally  carnivorous, 
and  will  generally  attack  a  man  whenever  it  sees  him.  These  animals  are  nu- 
merous,, and  their  tenacity  of  life  is  wonderful.  No  wound  except  through  the  head 


iLLus  TRATIOXS.  ?> 

^r  heart,  is  mortal;  and  they  have  even  escaped  after  being  shot  in  several  place? 
through  the  body.  The  Indians  never  attack  him  but  in  parties  of  six  or  eight 
persons,  and  even  then  are  often  defeated  with  the  loss  of  one  or  more  of  the 
party ;  and  when  they  go  in  quest  of  him,  paint  themselves,  and  perform  all  the 
superstitious  rites  customary  when  they  make  war  on  a  neighbouring  nation. 
The  indians  say  these  bears  have  killed  a  number  of  their  bravest  men.  Oa 
Lewis  and  Clarke's  expedition,  they  frequently  attacked  the  hunters  ;  and  captain 
Lewis  himself  was  chased  by  one  of  them,  and  escaped  only  by  plunging  into  a 
river.  One  of  Lewis  and  Clarke's  men  shot  one  of  them  through  the  lungs  ;  it 
nevertheless  pursued  him  furiously  half  a  mile,  and  he  was  only  relieved  from 
his  danger  by  captain  Lewis  and  seven  men,  who  followed  the  bear4)y  his  blood 
a  mile,  and  killed  him  ;  he  had,  witli  his  talons,  prepared  himself  a  bed  in  the 
earth  two  feet  deep  and  five  feet  long  ;  arid  was  perfectly  alive  when  they  found 
him,  which  was  at  least  two  hours  after  he  received  the  wound.'  (Transaction.* 
of  the  American  Pkihsophital  Society,  vol.  6.  Ga&s's  Journal.  Lents  and 
CiurkiSs  expcd&fatiip  the  Missouri,  vol.  1.)  Dixon,  the  indian  trader,  told  a 
friend  of  mine  tint  tin'.-  animal  had  been  seen  fourteen  feet  long  j  and  that  not- 
withitandingjits  ferocity,  it  ha*  been  sometimes  domesticated  ;  and  that  an  indian 
belonging  io  a  tribe  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  had  one,  in  this  reclaim- 
ed state,  which  he  sportively  directed  to  go  into  a  canoe  belonging  to  another 
tribe  of  indians  then  about  returning  from  a  visit ;  the  bear  obeyed,  and  was 
struck  by  an  indian  ;  being  considered  one  of  the  family,  this  was  deemed  an  in- 
sult, was  resented  accordingly,  and  produced  a  war  "between  these  nations.  The 
reverend  John  Hechewelder  states,  that  (.he  rnohican  indians  had  a  tradition  04 
an  animal  called  the  big  naked  bear.  They  say  that  the  last  was  seen  on  the 
east  side  of  Hudson's  river,  where  the  indians  killed  him  after  great  difficulty  j 
that  it  was  remarkably  long  bodied,  and  larger  than  the  common  bear ;  all  over 
naked,  except  a  spot  of  hair  on  its  back,  of  a  white  colour;  that  it  was  very 
destructive  to  their  nation,  killing  and  devouring  them.  And  such  was  the 
terror  it  inspired,  that  they  often  say  to  their  children,  when  crying,  "  Hush, 
the  naked  bear  will  hear  you,  be  upon  you,  and  devour  you."  This  account 
agrees,  in  general,  with  the  grizzly  bear  ;  and  particularly  in  the  dimensions  of- 
the  animal,  its  appetite  for  human  flesh,  and  its  terrific  character.  There  is 
nothing  in  our  climate  which  forbids  this  hypothesis.  (American  Philosophical 
Transactions,  .vol.  4.)  It  was  a  long  time  supposed  that  this  animal  was  the- 
ursus  arctos  of  Linnaeus,  and  he  is  so  characterized  in  the  6th  volume  of  the 
Philosophical  Transactions  before  referred  to.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  that  such  is 
tne  low  state  of  natural  knowledge  among  us,  that  dr.  Belknap  the  inestimable 
historian  of  New-Hampshire,  has  even  represented  -our  common  bear  as  the 
ursus  ar-: to?.  (lrcl.  3.)  Bossu,  in  his  travels  in  Louisiana,  says  th'ey-have 


76  NOTES    AND 

"  white  bears  whose  skin  i?  very  fine  and  soft."  (Vol.  1.)  Forgter,  the  learri- 
ed  translator,  says,  in  a  note,  "  This  cannot  he  the  great  polar  hear,  as  this 
latter  is  only  to  be  met  with  in  the  most  frigid  parts  of  our  globe ;  and  the  soft 
hair,  here  mentioned,  will  not  admit  to  think  of  the  polar  bear  whose  hair  is 
like  bristles."  Notwithstanding  this  significant  intimation,  they  have  been  gen- 
erally confounded  together.  Whether  this  animal  is  a  native  of  Europe  and 
Asia,  I  cannot  distinctly  sny  ;  but  from  the  descriptions  of  Pennant,  (Artie 
Zoology,  vol.  3.)  I  should  suppose  that  it  is.  He  says,  that  there  are  land 
bears  in  the  north  of  Tartan-,  entirely  white  and  of  a  very  great  size  ;  and  that 
the  grizzly  bears,  (which  are  called  by  the  germans  silberbar,  or  the  silver  bear, 
from  the  mixture  of  white  hairs)  are  found  in  Europe,  and  in  the  northern  parts 
of  North  America,  as  high  as  latitude  seventy;  where  a  hill  is  called  after  them, 
Grizzly- Boar-Hill. 

Upon  the  whole  we  may,  with  propriety,  say,  that  the  bear  proper  consists 
of  four  distinct  species  : 

1 .  The  polar  bear. 

2.  The  grizzly  bear. 

3.  The  common  bear  of  Europe. 

4.  The  common  bear  of  America  ;  which  is  also  said  to  be  of  two  kinds,  or,  in 
all  probability,  mere  varieties. 

.1  lay  no  great  stress  upon  the  surmise  that  the  grizzly  bear  and  mr.  Jefferson's 
great  darv,  are  the  same  animal.  They  agree  pretty  well  in  the  dimensions 
aud  character  of  the  claw,  and  in  the  general  size ;  but  the  correctness  of  the 
hypothesis  must  be  determined  by  a  comparison  of  the  bones. 


i\OTE  15. 

Although  Buflbn  seems  to  have,  at  one  time,  adopted  this  opinion  yet  he  af- 
terwards retracted  it.  In  one  place  (vol.  3.  p.  456.)  he  says,  "  the  domestic  ox,- 
which  ought  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  urtis,  the  buffalo,  or  the  bison,  seems 
to  be  a  native  of  our  temperate  climates  ;  excessive  heat,  or  excessive  cold,  being 
equally  hurtful  to  him.  Besides,  this  species,  so  abundant  over  all  Europe,  is 
not  found  in  the  equinoctial  regions,"  etc.  In  another  place,  after  a  long  chain 
of  ingenious  and  learned  deduction,  he  arrives  at  this  conclusion  :  "  Thus  the 
wild  and  domestic  ox  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and  America,  the  bonasus,  the 
nnrochs,  the  bison,  andthr  zobu.  are  animals  of  the  some  species,  which,  accord- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  7i 

ing  to  the  differences  of  climate,  of  food,  and  of  treatment,  have  undergone  the 
various  changes  above  described."  (vol.  G.  p.  188.)  Pennant  is  equally  decided 
"  The  bison  and  aurochs  of  Europe  is  certainly  the  same  species  with  the  ameri- 
ran  ox.  The  difference  consists  in  the  former  being  less  shaggy,  and  the  hair 
being  neither  so  soft  nor  so  woolly  nor  the  hind  parts  so  weak.  Both  european 
and  american  kinds,  scent  of  musk.  In  ancient  times  they  were  found  in  different 
parts  of  the  old  world,  outwent  under  different  names  :  the  bonasus  of  Aristotle, 
the  urus  of  Caesar,  the  bos  ferus  of  Strabo,  the  bison  of  Pliny,  and  the  biston  of 
Oppian,  so  called  from  its  being  found  among  the  bistones,  a  people  of  Thrace. 
According  to  these  authorities,  it  was  found  in  their  days  in  Media,  and  in  Paeonia, 
a  province  of  Macedonia  ;  among  the  Alps,  and  in  the  great  Hercynian  forest, 
which  extended  from  Germany  even  into  Sarmatia.  In  latter  days  a  white  spe- 
cies was  a  native  of  the  Scottish  mountains ;  it  is  now  extinct  in  its  savage  state; 
but  the  offspring,  sufficiently  wild,  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  parks  of  Druinlanrig, 
in  Scotland,  and  of  Chillingham  castle,  in  Northumberland. 

In  these  times  it  is  found  in  very  few  places  in  a  state  of  nature  :  it  is,  as  far  as 
we  know,  an  inhabitant,  at  present  only  of  the  forests  of  Lithuania  among  the 
Carpathian  mountains  within  the  extent  of  the  great  Hercynian  wood,  its  ancient 
haunts,  and  in  Asia,  among  the  vast  mountains  of  Caucasus.  Arctic  Zoology, 
vol.  3. 

Accdrding  to  these  opinions,  the  Linnsean  name  of  our  buffalo,  or  american 
wild  ox,  is  bos  bison,  or  bos  bonasus  j  and  that  of  the  indian  buffalo,  is  bos  buba- 
lus.  The  latter  originated  in  Egypt  and  India,  and  is  very  numerous  in  all  the 
warm  climates  of  the  old  world  ;  especially  in  marshy  countries,  and  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  rivers.  Water  and  a  moist  soil  seems  to  be  still  more  necessary  to 
them  than  the  warmth  of  climate.  It  was  transported  and  naturalized  in  Italy 
about  the  end  of  the  seventh  century,  and  is  now  in  France.  It  is  used  for  draw- 
ing, and  is  directed  and  restrained  by  means  of  a  ring  passed  through  its  nose. 
Two  buffaloes  yoked,  or  rather  chained,  to  a  carriage,  draw  as  much  as  four 
strong  horses,  as  they  carry  their  neck  and  head  low,  and  the  whole  weight  of 
their  body  is  employed  in  drawing,  and  their  mass  much  surpasses  that  of  a 
labouring  horse.  They  are  used  for  ploughing  throughout  Italy,  are  hideous 
animals,  with  very  coarse  black  hair,  and  have  a  singular  swinging  motion  oftho 
head,  in  walking.  The  milk  is  not  so  good  as  that  of  the  common  cow,  but  i^ 
much  more  plentiful.  A  kind  of  cheese  is  made  of  it  called  firmaggio  di  cavallo, 
or  horse  cheese,  but  nevertheless  very  good.  Its  flesh  is  not  so  good,  but  it 
is  larger  and  stronger  than  the  common  ox.  Buffbn,  vol.  G.  Smith's  Sketch  of  a 
Tour,  tie.  vol.  2.  The  bos  bubalus  is  an  entire  distinct  species  from  the  amen 
can  buffalo  ;  the  period  of  its  gestation  is  twelve  months;  whereas  that  of  th^ 
american  bison  and  domestic  «m  i?  nine.  It  rill  have  no  connexion  with  them ; 


78  JSOVV.&    AMD 

whereas  they  breed  together.   If  the  climate  of  this  stateis  not  sufficiently  war-ru 
for  this  useful  animal  it  will,  no  doubt,  flourish  in  the  southern  states.. 

The  young  of  our  buffalo,  or  bison,  have  been  repeatedly  put  among  the  tame 
cattle  at  Quebec  ;  and,  after  exhibiting,  on  all  occasions,  symptoms  of  their  origi- 
nal wildness  have  commonly  died  in  a  few  years.  It  is  supposed  that  the  cli- 
nnte  is  there  too  cold  for  them.  This  difficulty  cannot  exist  here.  Before  the 
cultivation  of  the  country  they  were  in  immense  herds  in  the  western  parts  of 
the  state,  frequenting  the  salt  licks,  and  roving  over  the  wide-spreading  luxuri- 
ant prairies  of  the  Gen?see,  and  they  have  given  their  name  to  a  celebrated 
stream  which  rims  into  Lake  Erie  near  its  outlet.  It  has  been  domesticated  in- 
South  Carolina,  but  appears  to  retain  some  of  its  primitive  wildness. 

Van  der  Donk  informs  us  that  the  buffalo  was  frequently  found  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  New  Netherland,  and  that  there  are  some  individuals  who  domesti- 
cate it  for  their  amusement,  and  being  accustomed  from  its  youth  to  associate 
with  mart,  it  will  become  remarkably  tame,  and  not  readily  return  to  the  forest. 
The  male  does  not  depreciate  by  castration,  nor  do  male  or  female  degenerate 
by  associating  with  tame  cattle  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  both  are  improved.  It 
is  believed  that  crossing  the  buffalo  with  the  cow  will  produce,  a  breed  of  increas- 
ed value  for  the  yoke,  for  the  dairy,  and  for  the  market ;  the  buffalo,  even  in  its 
*  wild  state,  being  naturally  strong,  yielding  excellent  milk,  and  inclined  to 
fatten. 

He  proceeds  to  state  that  there  are  deer,  both  bucks  and  does,  of  a  pure  white 
colour  ;  and  that  the  mohawk  indians  have  told  him  that  very  far  in  the  he-<rt  Of 
i heir  country,  there  existed  large  beasts  oi  the  form,  and  above  the  size,  of  a 
horse  ;  whose  hoofs  where  divided,  and  whose  forehead  was  ornamented  with  a 
single  horn,  of  about  the  leng'h  of  twelve  or  eighteen  inches ;  whose  swiftness  in 
running,  and  strength,  wore  so  great,  that  they  were  taken  with  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty. "  I  have  nev.er,"  says  he,  "  seen  this  animal  j  but  that  it  does  exist  I 
Ho  not  doubt  for  a  moment  ;  for  the  indians  universally  affirm  it,  and  the  chris- 
tians  declare  they  have  seen,  in  the  market,  hides  with  but  one  horn." 

If  thi?  account  is  not  fabulous,  this  was  probably  the  elk  seen  after  he  had 
shed  his  horns,  and  when  the  young  ones  were  sprouting  ;  but  if  not,  then  a  race 
of  unknown  animals  must  have,  in  former  times,  existed  in  this  state  ;  which  is 
now  extinct. 

It  seems,  then,  that  there  are  three  kinds  of  the  animal  denominated  bos  j  aii 
susceptible  of  domestication,  and  all  highly  useful  to  man. 

1.  The  bo?  indicus  or  bubalus,  orasiatic  and  africaij  buffalo.  " 

2.  The  bos  bison,  or  american  buffalo. 

3.  The  bos  taurus,  or  domestic  ox.     The  two  last,  probably,  varieties  of  ihfc 
same  species ;  and,  at  all  events,  specifically  distinct  from  the  first. 


I  fclt'  8T  RATIOS  Si . 


NOTE    10. 

,  Forster,  Baffon,  and  indeed  all  the  european  naturalists,  are  post 
eive  that  our  moose  is  the  elk.  u  The  name,  says  Pennant,  is  derived  froaj 
HUISU,  "which,  in  the  algonquin  language,  signifies  that  animal.  The  eqglish 
.used  to  call  it  the  black  moose,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  stag  which  they  named 
the  gray  moose.  The  French  call  it  original."  On  comparing  the  animals  call 
«d  moose  and  elk,  in  this  country,  we  find,  at  once,  a  specific  difference  in  their 
size,  their  colour,  their  horns,  and  their  residence  ;  and  a  great  difference  in  ev- 
ery other  respect,  except  their  being  of  the  genus  cervus.  We  are  then  certain*, 
that  the  moose  is  not  the  animal  denominated  by  us,  the  elk  ;  but  the  question 
still  remains  open,  whether  the  moose  is  not  the  elk,  or  cervus  alces,  of- Europe, 
described  by  Linnaeus  as  having  palmate  horns,  with  short  or  no  beams,  and  c« 
maculate  throat.  They  certainly  assimilate  in  many  respects. 

Another  question  still  remains  for  decision  ;  whether  the  animal,  which  we 
call  the  elk,  is  the  elk  of  Europe.  I  think  there  can  be  no  hesitation  in  saying, 
that  it  is  not.  Charksvoix  says,  that  the  Canadian  stag  is  precisely  the  same 
as  that  of  France  ;  and  Buffbn  says,  that  it  is  only  a  variety  of  the  european  stag, 
or  hart  j  that  it  differs  from  it  in  length  of  horn  only,  and  in  the  direction  of  thfi 
antlers,  which  is  sometimes  not  straight,  as  in  the  common  stag,  but  turned  back 
ward  so  that  the  end  of  each  points  to  the  stem  of  the  horns.  Buffon,  vol.  4 

Catesby  gives  the  following  account  of  these  animals,  which  appears  to  be 
very  judicious  and  correct.  "  The  moose, .  or  elk,  alee  maxima  americana  n° 
gra,  is  a  native  of  New  England  and  the  more  northern  parts  of  North  Ame 
ica  ;  and  is  rarely  seen  south  of  latitude  forty,  and  consequently  never  in  Car- 
olina :  he  is  six  feet  high,  about  the  size  of  a  middle  sized  ox.  The  male  has  pal- 
mated  horns,  not  unlike  those  of  the  german  elk,  but  differs  in  having  branched 
brow  autlers.  The  stag  of  America  resembles  the  european  red  deer,  in  the 
colour,  shape,  and  form  of  the  horn,  though  it  is  a  much  larger  animal  and  a 
stronger  make ;  his  horns  are  not  palmated,  but  round  ;  a  pair  of  which  weigh? 
•jpwards  of  thirty  pounds;  they  usually  accompany  buffaloes  with  whom  they 
range,  in  droves,  in  the  upper  and  remote  -irts  of  Carolina,  where,  as  well  as  in 
our  other  colonies,  they  are  improperly  called  elks.  The  french,  in  America,  call 
thus  beast  the  Canadian  stag.  In  New  England,  it  is  called  the  gray  moose,  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  black  moose.1"  Natural  History  of  the  Carolinas,  vol.  \ . 

Pile  saw  plenty  of  these  animals  on  the  Mississippi,  sometimes  the  distance 
was  four  fee*,  between  the  horns,  aud  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  them  were  fre- 
<yieut!y  in  a  flock.  Pennant  says,  that  stags  abound  in  the  mountainous  south.- 


80  A'OTJiS   AND 

era  tract  of  Siberia,  where  they  2row  to  a  size  far  superior  to  what  is  kuowu  in 
Europe.  The  height  of  a  grown  hind  is  four  feet  nine  inches  and  a  half,  its 
length,  eight  feet,  that  of  its  head,  one  foot  eight  inches  and  a  half.  Arctit 
Zoology,  vol.  3. 

Mr.  Jefferson,  in  his  notes  on  Virginia,  says,  perhaps  it  will  be  found  tha  t 
there  is, 

1.  .The  moose,  black  uad  gray ;  the  former  being  said  to  be  the  male,  the  lat- 
ter the  female. 

2.  The  caribou  or  renne. 

3.  The  flat  horned  elk,  or  original. 

4.  The  round  horned  elk. 

The  black  moose  and  the  third,  are  the  same  animal;  and  the  gray  moose  and 
the  fourth.  The  moose  has  large  flat  palmated  horns  ;  our  elk  has  round  cylin- 
drical horns.  The  former  is  confined  to  the  regions  of  the  north  ;  the  latter  ex- 
tends itself  from  Canada  to  the  south. 

The  animal  called  caribou  in  Canada  is  the  rein  deer,  or  cervuK  taraudus,  of 
the  old  world.  Buffon  says,  that  the  elk  is  found  only  on  this  side,  and  the 
rein  deer  beyond  the  polar  circle  in  Europe  and  Asia.  In  America,  we  meet 
with  them  in  lower  latitudes  ;  because  there  the  cold  is  greater  than  in  Europe. 
And,  he  says,  that  this  animal  formerly  existed  in  the  forests  of  Gaul  and  Ger- 
many ;  if  so,  there  is  no  improbability  in  supposing  that  he  formerly  visited  UP 
in  search  of  his  favorite  food  the  rein  deer  moss. 

Prom  the  chaos  which  has  existed  on  this  subject,  we  may  extricate  order  and 
light ;  and  I  think  we  are  well  warranted  in  saying, 

1.  That  the  animal  which  we  call  the  elk,  is  not  the  cervus  alces  ;  but  that  it 
is  either  a  variety  of  the  stag,  red  deer,  or  hart  of  Europe ;  the  cervus  elephus, 
or  a  distinct  species  of  cervus. 

2.  That  it  is  not  the  moose,  and  that  the  moose,   according  to  the  opinion  of' 
the  most  eminent  naturalists,  is  a  variety  of  the  cervus  alces. 

And,  3.  That  besides  these  two  animals,  we  have  the  rein  deer,  or  cervus  ta- 
randus,  of  the  old  world,  called  with  us  the  caribou. 

Buffon  says,  that  the  cervus  virgiuianus,  is  only  a  variety  of  the  cervus  dama, 
the  commou  or  fallow  deer  of  Europe. 

Have  we  any  other  species  of  cerv 3  ? 

Have  we  the  roe  deer,  or  cervus  capreolus  ?  Button  says  it  is  found  through- 
out all  North  America. 

Have  we  the  red  deer,  cervus  elephas  ?  Jefferson  says  that  it  is  an  americaa 
animal,  and  that  it  weighs  two  hundred  and  seventy-three  pounds. 

What  animal  is  that  called  by  Lewis  and  Clarke  in  their  Travels,  the  mule 
deerP 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  8l 

A  young  moose  has  been  lately  exhibited  at  Albany  as  a  show.  It  is  hoped 
that  some  of  the  scientific  gentlemen  of  that  city  have  directed  their  particular 
attention  to  it. 


17.  ^ 

The  able  editors  of  the  American  Medical  and  Philosophical  Register,  know 
ing  my  partiality  for  this  distinguished  naturalist,  requested  me  to  write  a  re- 
view of  the  five  last  volumes  of  his  American  Ornithology.  This  request  I  com 
plied  with,  although  fully  sensible  of  my  un fitness  for  the  task.  As  this  review 
contains  a  full  statement  of  my  viH-  of  mr.  Wilson's  great  work,  it  may  not  be 
improper  to  insert  it  in  this  note. 

[From  the,  American  Medical  and Ptdlosophical  Register.,  re?.  4.] 

AMERICAN-  ORNITHOLOGY;  or  the  Natural  History  of  th*  Birds  of  the  United 
States  :  illustrated  nitk  plates,  engraved  and  colored  from  original  dranlng* 
taken  from  nature.  By  ALEXANDER  WILSON.  Philadelphia.  Inskeep  & 
Bradford.  Imperial  4to.  vols.  5th,  6th,  7th,  8th,  nml  Cth.  About  120  pages 
each:  1812—14. 

THE  author  of  the  American  Ornithology  having  closed  his  earthly  career 
before  he  finished  that  important  work,  the  task  of  completing  the  ninth  and 
last  volume,  devolved  upon  his  friend  and  executor,  mr.  George  Ord,  who  has 
prefixed  to  it  an  interesting  biography  of  mr.  Wilson.  Having,  on  former  occa- 
sions, noticed  several  of  the  volumes,  it  now  remains  for  us  to  pay  the  last  trib- 
ute of  respect  to  a  man  whom  we  esteem,  and  to  an  author  whose  worts  v.  iii 
always  occupy  an  important  rank  among  the  writings  on  Natural  History. 

The  life  of  mr.  Wilson  exhibits  the  complete  triumph  of  genius  over  the  wani 
of  education,  and  of  persevering  industry  over  the  evils  of  poverty.  Without 
any  other  reliance  than  on  hi*  own  faculties,  and  with  a  force  of  exertion  which 
notliing  could  check  or  retard,  he  has  obtained  a  celebrity  in  science  to  which 
few  men,  in  this  country,  can  aspire ;  although  many  may  be  more  highly  favor- 
ed wfth  the  endowments  of  genius,  and  more  extensively  gifted  with  the  aavanti 
ges  of  early  education,  and  the  bounties  of  fortune.  The  life  of  Wilson  shows,  con- 
clusively, that  the  temple  of  fame  is  open  to  the  most  humble  individual  in 
the  community,  if  he  only  attempts  it  with  zeal  and  industry  and  with  a  judi- 
cious selection  of  the  part  which  he  intends  to  act  on  the  theatre  of  the  world  : 
and  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  add,  in  opposition  to  the  complaints  of  his  biogra- 
pher, that  notwithstanding  he  experienced,  in  some  few  instances,  the  sights 
>?  i;morance,  and  the  srierrrs  of  impertinence,  yet  that  a  liberal  and  enlightened 

T. 


82  NOTES  AND 

community  bore  witness  to  his  merits  by  a  munificent  subscription  which,  after 
satisfying  all  expenses,  would  have  placed  him,  if  living,  on  the  enviable  ground 
of  independence.- 

The  science  of  ornithology  is  involved  in  considerable  difficulty  and  confusion. 
The  arrangement  of  animals  according  to  the  principles  of  the  Linnaean  system, 
is  an  admirable  contrivance  to  extricate  the  science  of  zoology  from  the  darkness 
which  surrounded  it.  The  classes  and  orders  of  the  great  naturalist  are  arbitra- 
ry :  the  genera  and  species  are  natural ;  but  when  we  consider  that  the  generic 
characters  of  birds  are  taken  from  the  bill,  tongue,  nostrils,  cere,  earuncles, 
and  other  naked  parts — and  that  the  characters  of  the  species  are  derived  prin- 
cipally from  the  plumage  and  habitudes,  we  must  be  sensible  that  here  is  a  wide 
field  for  a  difference  of  opinion.  Besides,  the^bmenclature  adopted,  in  endeav- 
ouring to  compress  the  descriptions  of  animals  within  the  shortest  compass, 
is  frequently  a  mystery  to  most  readers.  Take,  for  instance,  an  account  of  a 
bird  by  Linnaeus,  Latham,  or  Pennant,  and  it  will  require  considerable  industry 
to  penetrate  the  exact  meaning  of  the  author.  The  generic  characters  frequent- 
ly run  so  closely  into  each  other,  that  it  is  no  easy  task  to  make  the  appropri- 
ate arrangement.  The  plumage  of  birds  varies  according  to  seasons,  to  age,  and 
to  climate  ;  and  their  manners  assume  a  different  appearance  at  different  times, 
and  in  different  countries.  The  sexes  exhibit,  almost  invariably,  a  diversity 
The  male  is  frequently  smaller  than  the  female,  and  is  generally  arrayed  in  a 
more  beautiful  dress.  Genera  are  confounded  together  j  varieties  are  represent- 
ed as  distinct  species ;  the  male  is  placed  in  a  different  species  from  his  mate  ; 
and  the  same  bird,  at  different  ages  and  seasons,  is  considered  a  different  species, 
The  names  of  birds  vary  in  different  places. 

In  the  same  district  of  country  the  same  bird  frequently  goes  by  different  ap 
pellations,  and  the  scientific  name  is  also  not  uniform  j  Linnaeus,  Brisson,  and  Buf- 
fon,  oftentimes  disagree.  We  may  add  to  this,  the  absurd  custom  adopted  in 
this  country  of  naming  our  birds  after  those  in  Europe,  to  which  they  are  suppo- 
sed to  have  some  likeness,  although,  in  most  respects,  they  are  dissimilar. 

There  are  three  modes  in  which  we  may  obtain  a  knowledge  of  birds.  From 
personal  observation  of  these  animals  in  their  natural  state ;  from  preserved 
subjects  in  cabinets  of  natural  history ;  and  from  books.  The  first  is  undoubt- 
edly preferable,  so  far  as  it  goes  ;  but  it  is  necessarily  limited  by  our  range  ot" 
travelling.  The  second  sup;  lies  this  defect,  but  it  is  liable  to  this  great  objec^ 
tion ;  the  subjects  are  often  not  only  imperfectly  prepared  in  the  first  instance,  but 
generally  decay  and  dissolve.  lu  Cayenne,  which  has  furnished  more  subjects 
for  the  cabinets  of  european  naturalists,  than  any  other  country ;  the  birds  are 
steeped  in  spirits  for  a  long  time,  and  dried  by  the  heat  of  an  oven.  This  must 
undoubtedly,  in  many  instances,  sully  the  glossy  beauty  of  their  plumage,  and 


ILLUSTRATIOSS.  $3 

iive  them  an  appearance  different  from  their  natural  one.  Books  must  be  re- 
sorted to  in  order  to  complete  and  extend  our  knowledge ;  but  to  place  our  sole 
reliance  on  them,  would  be  as  absurd  as  to  attempt  to  attain  a  knowledge  of 
mankind  by  the  meditation?  of  contemplative  retirement. 

Our  author  has,  with  unparalleled  industry,  and  singular  sagacity  of  observa- 
tion, surmounted  all  the  disadvantages  which  we  have  enumerated,  and  availed 
himself  of  all  the  sources  of  information  :  every  state  in  the  union  has  witnessed 
his  labours  :  on  our  alpine  hills ;  in  our  most  distant  forests ;  on  the  borders  of 
our  rivers  and  lakes ;  on  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  the  footsteps  of  his  enter- 
prising industry  may  be  seen.  He  first  examined  the  feathered  creation  with 
his  own  eyes ;  he  traced  them  in  their  most  secluded  haunts  ;  he  watched  their 
migrations ;  he  observed  their  seasons  of  song,  and  of  love,  and  of  incubation ; 
h*  noticed  their  food,  their  instinct,  and  their  habits. 

After  having  explored  this  source  of  information,  he  next  had  recourse  to 
cabinets  of  natural  history,  to  the  aviaries  of  amateurs,  and  to  the  observations 
of  inquisitive  and  ingenious  men.  The  museum  of  Peale  furnished  him  with  va- 
rious and  extensive  knowledge ;  the  methodical  and  comprehensive  writings  of 
Linnaeus ;  the  extensive  information  of  Pennant,  Brisson,  Edwards,  and  Latham, 
and  the  splendid  elucidations  of  Buffon,  were  also  familiar  to  him. 

Thus  furnished  with  information,  he  has  produced  a  work  which  excels  all 
that  precedes  it,  whether  we  have  reference  to  the  style  and  matter,  or  the 
drawings.  It  is  in  vain  to  attempt  to  form  ideas  from  written  descriptions  of 
animals,  sufficiently  distinct,  so  as  to  distinguish  them  in  all  cases  from  each 
other :  we  must  have  recourse  to  the  delineations  of  the  pencil,  and  to  the  pre- 
servations of  the  museum.  The  number  of  species  of  birds  has  undoubtedly 
been  greatly  multiplied  from  the  generality  and  confusion  of  descriptions ;  lei 
the  same  bird  be  described  after  the  Linnsean  manner  by  two  different  persons, 
and  it  is  an  equal  chance  if  they  do  not  vary  in  some  essential  respects ;  but  a 
faithful  representation  of  the  pencil  will  at  once  remove  all  ambiguity.  The 
delineations  of  Wilson  are  done  in  such  a  masterly  style,  that  the  bird  is  at  once 
recognised.  He  also  excels  in  his  account  of  the  manners  of  birds  :  although 
he  cannot  boast  of  the  splendid  eloquence  of  Buffon,  yet  there  is  such  a  fascina- 
tion in  his  style,  such  a  simplicity  in  his  manner,  and  so  much  truth  and  nature 
ia  all  his  remarks,  that  we  are  compelled  to  give  him  the  preference. 

To  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  extensiveness  of  this  work,  we  have  only  to 
compare  it  with  the  celebrated  natural  history  of  Mark  Catesby,  published  in 
1754.  Although  the  drawings  of  this  writer  are  eminently  beautiful,  and  gene- 
rally correct,  yet  they  are  greatly  inferior  to  those  of  Wilson.  His  descriptions 
also  will  not  bear  a  comparison,  either  in  interest  or  extent :  the  whole  number 
sf  birds  which  he  describes  amounts  to  113,  which  contained  all  the  land  birds 


tfA  ^  i\*TES  AfitD 

he  saw  in  North  America,  between  the  30th  and  4^th  degrees  oi  latitude.  Wil- 
son has  figured  and  described  278  species,  56  of  which  were  not  known  before : 
his  untimely  death  has  prevented  the  full  execution  of  his  plan.  The  swan,  the 
turkey,  and  the  crane,  the  most  interesting  of  the  feathered  race,  did  not  come 
nuder  his  review  ;  a  lo?s  that  cannot  be  supplied.  V*»  ith  what  interest  would  we 
read  his  remarks  on  the  turkey  p  What  light  would  he  not  have  cast  upon 
those  controverted  questions,  whether  the  turkey  is  of  exclusive  american  ori- 
gin p  and  whether  the  domestic  is  a  distinct  species  from  the  wild  turkey  p  and 
whether,  contrary  to  the  general  operation  of  cultivation  and  domestication 
upon  an'imr.ls  and  plants,  Ihfe  bird  has  dwindled  in  size,  and  sustained  a  deteri- 
oration by  its  domestic  state  p 

Although  Wilson  has  done  much,  yet  much  more  remains  to  be  done,  in  or- 
der to  complete  our  ornithology.  The  whole  number  of  species,  according  to 
Latham,  is  three  thousand;  Considering  that  the  american  republic,  including 
our  Louisiana  acquisition,  extends  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  embraces  the 
greatest  and  most  spacious  inland  seas  in  the  world,  comprehends  every  variety 
of  cliirate  and  soil,  innumerable  and  boundless  forests ;  prairies,  or  natural  mea- 
dows, of  several  days  journey  ;  deserts  like  those  of  Africa ;  mountains  dividing 
the  country  into  an  eastern  and  western  section  ;  and  rivers  equalled  in  size  by 
none  in  the  old  world :  considering  also  its  vicinity  to  numerous  islands  of  a 
warm  temperature,  and  the  approximation  of  America  to  Europe  and  Asia,  by 
which  the  land  birds  of  the  old  world  can  have  easy  access  to  our  continent :  it 
is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose,  that  we  may  claim  at  least  one  thousand  spe- 
cies of  birds,  who  either  reside  among  us,  or  occasionally  visit  us.  If  this  cal- 
culation be  correct,  what  an  extensive  field  yet  remains  for  the  ornithologist  p 
and  if  another  Wilson  shall  arise,  endowed  with  genius  and  invincible  industry, 
the  rich  treasures  of  natural  science,  which  are  now  hidden  from  our  view,  will 
be  drawn  from  the  darkness  which  covers  them,  and  exposed  to  the  full  view  of 
in  admiring  world. 


NOTE   18. 

it  would  occupy  too  much  ground  to  state  the  various  difficulties  which  per 
plex  the  naturalist  in  this  interesting  study.  The  greatest  embarrassment  existt: 
with  respect  to  the  identity  of  the  species,  and  this  proceeds  from  the  applica- 
tion of  the  names  of  european  birds  to  ours  which  are  entirely  distinct ;  from  the 
imperfect,  indistinct,  and  general  descriptions  of  ornithologists ;  from  an  inaf- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  8,1 

Untive  observation  of  the  changes  which  take  place  from  age,  from  climate, 
from  season  and  food,  and  from  the  great  difference  which  nature  has  establish- 
ed between  the  aexes.  It  has,  until  lately,  been  doubted  whether  the  bald 
eagle  and  the  sea  eagle  were  the  same  j  and  the  same  difficulty  has  occurred 
in  relation  to  the  whippoor-will  and  the  night-hawk.  This  is  now  considered 
ns  settled.  The  latter  are  supposed  to  be  distftct  species,  and  the  former  are 
the  same  birds  under  different  appearances  of  plumage. 

An  interesting  discussion  has  been  had  upon  this  question,  whether  the  turkey 
i-  exclusively  of  american  origin  P  Thomas  Pennant  published,  in  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Royal  Society,  a  paper  to  show  that  the  turkey  came  from  Ameri- 
ca, and  was  unknown  before  the  discovery  ef  that  continent.  Daines  Barring- 
ton,  who  has  taken  the  opposite  side  of  the  question,  asserts  that  this  fine  bird 
boasts  an  eastern  origin.  According  to  a  distich  in  Baker's  Chronicle,  turkeys 
were  introduced  into  England  from  Spain.  Latham,  in  his  Synopsis  of  Birds, 
says,  that  turkeys  were  brought  into  England  about  1524,  and  that  they  un- 
questionably came  originally  from  America,  and  are  found  largest  in  the  north- 
ern parts.  Bartram,  in  his  travels  through  the  Carolinas  and  Floridas,  repre- 
sents u  our  turkey  as  a  very  different  species  from  the  meleagris  of  Asia  and 
Europe ;  they  are  nearly  thrice  their  size  and  weight ;  they  are  taller,  and  have 
a  much  longer  neck  proportionately,  and  likewise  longer  legs  and  stand  more 
erect ;  they  are  also  very  different  in  color,  they  are  all  of  a  dark  brown  color, 
not  having  a  black  feather  on  them;  but  the  male  is  exceedingly  splendid  with 
changeable  colors."  Michaux,  in  la's  Travels  to  the  westward  of  the  Alleghany 
.Mountains,  &c.  says,  "  To  the  east  of  the  Mississippi,  in  a  space  of  more  than 
eight  hundred  leagues,  there  is  only  one  species  of  wild  turkey.  Some  weigh 
thirty- five  or  forty  pounds.  The  variety  of  domestic  turkeys  to  which  the  name 
of  english  turkeys  is  given  in  France,  came  originally  from  this  species  of  wild 
turkey,  and  when  they  are  not  crossed  with  the  common  species,  they  retain  the 
primitive  colour  of  their  plumage  as  well  as  that  of  their  legs,  which  is  a  deep 
red.  If  subsequent  to  1525  our  domestic  turkeys  were  naturalized  in  Spain,  and 
from  thence  were  introdu«ed  into  the  rest  of  Europe,  it  is  probable  that  they 
were  originally  from  some  of  the  more  southern  parts  of  America,  where  they 
doubtless  exist  a  species  different  from  that  of  the  United  States." 

Notwithstanding  the  authoritative  decisions  of  the  two  iait  quoted  writers,  I 
tiiink  we  may  venture  to  dissent  from  them,  and  to  say  that  the  wild  and  tame 
;urkeys  are  only  varieties  of  the  same  species.  It  is  well  known  that  they 
'ireed  together,  and  that  their  offspring  are  also  productive.  The  only  diffi- 
.  ulty,  then,  is  respecting  their  size  and  plumage;  all  animals  are  changed  by 
flomestication.  Their  color,  in  a  wild  state,  is  generally  uniform  and  similar, 
'"•lit  when  tamed,  it  changes  into  a  number  of  varieties.  The  mallard  is  the 


86  MOTES  AN1S 

stock  from  whence  our  domestic  duck  proceeds,  and  the  gray  lag  is  the  origin  of 
the  domestic  goose.  The  color  of  these  birds,  in  their  reclaimed  condition,  10 
various ;  in  their  wild  state  it  is  uniform.  The  turkey  when  domesticated  is 
exposed  to  the  same  mutations.  As  to  comparative  size,  it  may  be  observed, 
that  the  largest  wild  turkey  does  not  exceed  the  largest  tame  turkey  one  half 
in  weight ;  and  this  may  also  proceed  from  domestication.  If  the  bison  is  the 
original  stock  of  our  tame  cattle,  has  not  the  latter  diminished  in  magnitude  by 
the  change!1  but  this  diversity  may,  perhaps,  be  satisfactorily  accounted  for  in 
another  way.  The  turkey  was  introduced  into  Europe  from  Spain,  and  Spain 
derived  it  from  her  tropical  colonies.  It  is  a  bird  which  flourishes  best  in  tem- 
perate climates  j  as  R  extended  its  migrations  too  far  to  the  south,  it  diminished 
in  she :  ri^hoHgh  the  identity  of  ppecies  could  not  be  changed,  yet  a  variety 
tras  produced  of  inferior  magnitude.  From  the  Spanish  turkey,  which  was 
ilrusr  spread  over  Europe,  we  have  obtained  our  domestic  one.  The  wild  turkey 
Iras  been  frequently  tamed,  and  his  offspring  is  of  a  larger  size. 

Considerable  doubts  have  also  been  suggested  with  respect  to  that  interesting 
Krd  railed  the  rice  bird,  reed  bird,  or  bob  lincoln,  (emberiza  oryzivora).  I 
call  it  interesting  on  account  of  the  beauty  of  its  plumage,  the  melody  of  its 
notes,  and  the  delicacy  of  its  flesh,  which  induced  Brisson  to  call  it  1'ortolan  de 
fa  Caroline.  Its  migrations  liave  been  represented  as  composed  of  each  sex 
distinctly.  Catesby  first  suggested  this  idea.  u  In  September,"  sajs  he, 
"*  when  the  rice  birds  arrive  in  Carolina,  in  infinite  swarms,  to  devour  the  rice, 
iirey  arc  all  hens,  not  being  accompanied  with  any  cock.  Observing  them  to  be 
sll  feathered  alike,  I  imagined  they  were  young  of  both  sexes  not  perfected  in 
tfretr  colors ;  but  by  opening  some  scores  prepared  for  the  ?pit,  I  found  them  to 
Ve  all  females  :  and  that  I  might  leave  no  room  for  doubt,  repeated  the  search 
•often 'on  many  of  them,  but  could  never  find  a  cock  at  that  time  of  the  year. 
Early  in  the  spring  both  cocks  and  hens  make  a  transient  visit  together,  at 
which  time  I  made  the  like  search  as  before,  and  both  sexes  were  plainly  distin- 
guishable. In  September,  1725,  lying  upon  the  deck  of  a  sloop  in  a  bay  at  An- 
*frosT  island,  I,  snd  the  company  with  me,  heard  three  nights  successively  flights 
«f  these  bird?,  (their  note  being  plainly  distinguishable  from  others,)  passing  over 
car  heads  northerly,  which  is  their  direct  way  from  Cuba  to  Carolina;  from 
^hich  !  conceive,  after  partaking  of  the  earlier  crop  of  rice  at  Cuba,  they  travel 
«>ver  sea  to  Carolina  for  the  same  intent,  the  rice  there  being  at  that  time  fit 
for  them.'*  Natural  History  of  Carolina,  Florida,  and  the  Ba/iama  Islands, 
irt.  1. 

Bartram  seems  to  have  adopted  the  same  opinion,  but  with  some  hesitation, 
1  -  It  is  (says  foe)  the  commonly  received  opinion,  that  they  are  male  and  female 
of  the  same  species,  i.  e.  the  black-pied  rice  birds  ftie  male,  and  a  yellowish 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  87 

clay- colored  one  tUe  female ;  the  last  inentiooed  appearing  only  ia  autumn,  when 
the  oryza  zizania  are  about  ripening  j  yet,  in  my  opinion,  there  are  some  strong 
circumstances  which  seem  to  operate  against  such  a  conjecture,  though  generally 
believed." 

About  the  middle  of  May,  the  black  pied  rice  bird,  called  the  male,  appears 
ia  Pennsylvania,  about  which  time  the  great  yellow  ephemera,  called  May  fly, 
and  a  species  of  locusts,  appear  ia  great  numbers,  the  favorite  food  of  these 
birds.  Travels  in  South  CarolirM,  v^l.  1. 

Dr.  Barton  states,  that  the  rice  bird  makes  its  appsaronc-j  near  Philadelphia, 
about  the  20th  of  May,  and  that  the  females  exclusively  make  their  appear- 
ance about  the  20th  of  August.  "  On  the  authority  of  Catesby,"  says  he,  "  it 
has  been  believed  by  the  most  respectable  naturalists,  (Pennant  and  others,)  that 
the  males  and  females  migrate  separately  at  different  seasons.  Thus  it  is  imagin- 
ed, that  the  males  make  their  appearance  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia  in  the 
spring,  and  the  females  in  the  autumn,  or  close  of  summer.  Some  facts  which 
have  come  under  my  knowledge,  induce  me  to  suspect,  that  this  is  a  vulgar 
error  ;  one  of  the  many  mistakes  with  which  natural  history  is  crowded  and  de- 
formed, but  at  present  I  can  only  throw  out  the  suspicion."  Fragratnis  6f 
Natural  History. 

Although  these  supposed  separate  jscxual  migrations  may  be  considered  anoma- 
lous, yet  they  are  not  without  precedent.  The  male  cuckoo  arrives  in  England 
before  the  female.  The  male  of  the  motaciliy  luscinia,  or  nightingale,  arrives 
there  about  a  week  after  the  female.  The  male  of  the  sylva  sylvicola,  or  woo*! 
wren,  precedes  the  female  in  its  vernal  migrations  to  that  country,  a  week  or 
ten  days.  And  what  is  still  more  extraordinary  is,  that  '.ve  have  the  authority 
of  Linnaeus  for  saying,  that  the  female  chaffinches  of  Sweden,  (friogifla  cs-lebs,^. 
migrate  only,  and  this  assertion  is  confirmed  from  seeing  only  females  of  that 
species,  in  certain  parts  of  England,  at  that  time.  And  to  show  an  instance  of 
:i  peculiar  exception  from  a  general  rule,  we  have  only  to  advert  to  the  arrival 
of  some  Virds  into  Great  Britain  against  a  strong  wind.' 

We  all  know  that  the  notion  of  the  arrival  of  the  different  sexes  of  this  bird, 
at  different  times,  in  this  part  of  the  country  is  unfounded.  They  arrive  on 
Long  Island  sometime  in  May,  and  have  their  young  in  June,  when  the  distinc- 
tion of  sexes  in  the  young,  as  well  as  old,  ia  obvious,  the  young  rr.r.les  resembling 
the  old  ones  ;  and  they  are,  at  that  season,  broujht  alive  to  our  market?,  by  the 
bird  catchers,  for  sale,  and  sold  to  be  kept  in  ca^e*.  They  retire  from  us  th* 
latter  end  of  the  summer,  at  the  same  time  ;  but  the  positive  assertion  of  Cates- 
by,  and  others,  that  females  are  only  seen  in  Carolina  in  September,  and  that 
he  had  verified  this  opinion  by  dissection,  was  calculated  to  produce  acquiescence, 
Tri1fl  Wilson  cleured  OB  tfcts  sr,H^<"\  H*  siys.  that  fhey  arrive  in  Pcrni=y]v?n?e 


88  NOTES  AN.U 

from  the  12th  to  the  20th  of  May  when  they  go  to  the  north ;  that  irom  June  till 
August,  the  male  changes  his  colour,  and  assimilates  the  female,  when  they  re- 
tire to  the  south  j  that  the  organs  of  birds,  by  which  the  sex  is  detected,  are,  in 
autumn,  no  larger  than  the  smallest  pin's  head,  and  that  the  spring  increases 
them  a  hundred  fold,  which  led  to  the  error  of  Catesby,  when  he  applied  the 
anatomical  knife.  (Wilson's  Ornithology,  vol.  2.)  That  in  October  they  visit 
Jamaica  suid  Cuba,  and  return  to  the  continent  early  in  the  spring.  This  is  a 
most  satisfactory  solution  of  all  the  doubts  which  have  existed  on  this  subject. 
When  dr.  Barton  states,  that  the  females  exclusively  make  their  appearance  in 
Philadelphia,  about  the  20th  of  August,  the  male  bird  has  then  changed  its  colour, 
and  botli  sexes  are  on  their  southern  journey.  When  Catesby  and  Bartram  say, 
that  the  females  only  appear  in  autumn  in  Carolina,  it  is  only  a  continuation  of 
the  southern  progress  of  both  sexes  identified  in  external  appearance.  When 
Catesby  made  his  dissections,  and  concluded  that  all  his  subjects  were  females, 
it  was  in  September,  when  the  soxual  distinctions  are  not  palpable ;  but  when 
they  became  so  in  the  spring,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  recognising  both  male  and 
female. 

I  might  extend  these  remarks,  on  similar  topics  of  inquiry,  but  I  have  already 
occupied  too  much  ground;  these  slight  sketches  will  indicate  what  an  interest 
ing  and  spacious  field  of  investigation  might  be  explored. 


NOTE  19. 

In  1810  I  saw  a  great  number  of  ravens  on  the  borders  of  the  beautiful  lake 
Canadesaga,  or  Seneca,  near  the  village  of  Geneva,  and  was  told  that  no  crows 
had  made  their  appearance  in  that  part  of  the  country.  Michaux,  in  his  travels 
before  quoted,  observes,  that  the  crows  have  not  yet  been  seen  in  Tenessee ;  but 
It  is  probable  that  their  appearance  is  only  deferred,  for  they  are  already  very 
destructive  in  Kentucky.  The  gray  rats  of  Europe  in  like  manner  follow  the 
establishments  of  the  whites  ;  they  have  not  yet  penetrated  into  Cumberland  in 
Tenessee  ;  they  make  their  appearance  a  few  years  after  the  country  has  been 
inhabited. 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  89 

NOTE  20. 

The  lepua  americanus  described  by  Linnsens  evidently  means  our  wild  rabbit. 
It  cannot  apply  to  the  northern  hare,  which  is  evidently  larger  than  it. 

Dr.  Belknap  denominates  our  hare  the  lepus  timidus,  or  common  hare,  and 
our  rabbit  the  lepus  cuniculus,  or  common  rabbit  of  Europe.  He  is  mistaken  in 
both  appellations.  The  common  bare  does  not  exist  in  this  country,  nor,  it  is 
believed,  in  any  part  of  America,  although  Linnaeus  says  that  it  inhabits  Europe, 
Asia,  and  America.  We  certainly  have  no  animal  corresponding  with  it.  Nor 
does  our  hare  resemble  the  lepus  variabilis,  as  described  by  Linnaeus.  He  says 
that  it  inhabits  the  northern  hills  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America,  migrates  in 
troops  in  winter  into  the  plains,  and  returns  in  spnng  to  the  mountains ;  that  it  is 
easily  tamed,  is  playful,  and  fond  of  honey.  This  does  not,  in  any  respect,  apply 
to  our  hare,  nor  does  his  description  of  its  color  and  changes  apply.  Our  hare 
is  the  most  wild  and  indocile  of  animals.  I  had  several  of  them  caught  alive  at 
Albany,  with  a  view  of  letting  them  loose  for  propagation  in  the  thick,  impene- 
trable swamps  of  Long  Island  ;  hut  such  was  their  wildne=s  that  of  twenty  or 
thirty  procured  for  that  purpose,  they  either  pined  away,  or  killed  themselves  by 
beating  against  their  cages,  and  I  therefore  could  not  succeed  in  my  plan. 
They  were  entirely  white,  and  their  flesh  is  excellent. 

Kalra  describes  our  wild  rabbit  as  a  hare,  and  as  much  smaller  than  the  Swedish 
hare,  and  but  little  bigger  than  that  of  the  rabbit  of  Europe.  (Kalrri's  Tr'ivtls, 
vol.  1.)  He  further  says,  that  the  hare  at  Hudson's  Bay,  and  in  Canada,  (the 
hare  of  which  I  speak,)  perfectly  corresponds  with  the  Swedish  hare,  being  in 
summer  of  a  brownish  gray  color,  and  in  winter  of  a  snowy  white.  Mr.  Pennant 
says,  that  the  varying  hare  weighs  only  six  pounds  and  a  half,  the  common  hare 
upwards  of  eight  pounds,  and  the  american  hare,  or  our  wild  rabbit,  from  three 
pounds  tight  ounces  to  four  pounds  and  a  half ;  and  he  says  that  the  first  is  met 
with  in  Canada  aad  Newfoundland,  after  which  the  species  cease?  to  the  south- 
ward, or  at  least  he  has  no  authority  for  its  beiji£  continued  ;  the  hare  of  New 
England  seeming,  by  Josselyn's  account,  to  be  the  american  hare  or  wild  rabbit, 
that  inhabits  Greenland,  and  is  found  about  the  rocks  at  Churchill,  and  the  straits 
of  Hudson's  Bay,  but  that  it  is  not  common.  We  must,  therefore,  succumb  to 
these  great  authorities,  and  acknowledge  that  our  hare  is,  at  least,  a  variety  of 
the  lepus  variabilis  of  Europe.  So  far,  however,  from  being  confined  to  Canada, 
as  is  represented,  it  is  in  great  numbers  about  Albany,  and  has  been  seen  near 
forty  miles  to  the  south  of  that  place,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson.  Its  food 
i*  said  to  be  grass,  white  mo?",  and  the  bark  of  the  birch-tree,  of  which  it  is  very 
fond  ;  it  does  not  J^nrrow  in  the  ground,  but  hajbors  in  hollow  trees.  Dr.  Wil- 

M 


90  SO'JPES    AND 

Hams,  in  his  History  of  Vermont,  says,  that  a  large  hare  weighs  eight  pounds., 
and  the  largest  rabbit  seven  pounds.  Ilearne  saw  the  varying  hare  as  far  north 
as  latitude  seventy  two,  and  says  it  sometimes  weighs  fourteen  or  fifteen  pounds. 
As  connected  with  this  subject  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  observe,  that  it  is  not 
probable  that  either  our  hare  or  rabbit  can  be  domesticated.  The  common  rab- 
bit of  Europe,  however,  would  flourish  here,  and  its  skin  alone  would  render  it 
an  object  to  have  warrens  made  for  its  habitation.  Its  amazing  fecundity  is  well 
known.  It  lives  to  the  age  of  eight  or  nine  years,  and  is  capable  of  procreating 
at  five  or  six  months.  The  female  is  gravid  thirty  or  thirty-one  days,  and  she 
will  bear  seven  times  annually,  and  produce  five  young  at  each  time.  Supposing 
this  to  happen  during  the  space  of  four  years,  and  that  three  of  the  young  at 
each  producing  are  females,  the  increase  will  be  478,062.  This  exceeds  the  fe- 
cundity of  the  pigeon,  which,  according  to  Pliny,  may  produce,  from  one  pair, 
14,7€0  in  four  years.  Until  of  late  years  the  gray  rabbit  was  the  only  species 
in  the  english  warrens  ;  at  present  the  silver-  haired  rabbit  is  sought  after,  and 
has,  within  the  few  last  years,  supplanted  the  other,  because  the  skin  is  dressed 
«s  a  fur,  and  sells  for  more.  (Daniel's  Rural  Sports,  vol.  1.)  It  is  believed 
that  the  tame  rabbit  which  has  been  brought  into  this  country  in  a  domestic  state^ 
is  not  the  proper  rabbit  for  stocking  warrens.  It  is  not  a  little  surprising  that 
this  easy  source  of  profit  has  been  entirely  overlooked  by  us. 


NOTE   21. 

Homer,  who  has  been  closely  imitated  by  all  the  celebrated  epic  poets,  has 
thos  described  the  migration  of  cranes  : 

So  when  inclement  winters  vex  the  plain 
With  piercing  frost,  or  thick  descending  rain  ; 
To  warmer  seas  the  cranes  embodied  fly, 
With  noise  and  order,  through  the  midway  sky  -. 
To  pigmy  nations  wounds  and  death  they  bring, 
And  all  the  war  descends  upon  the  wing. 

POPE'S  TRANSLATION. 
Virgil  thus  describes  the  same  subject : 

Qualcssub  nubibus  atris, 

Stryni-miae  dant  signa,  grues,  atqne  aethera  tranant 
Cum  sonitu,  fugiuntque  notos  clamore  secundo. 

J£KEID,  Lib.  10. 


ILLUSTRATION'S.  91 

Oc  Comparing  these  descriptions,  of  the  four  greatest  epic  poets  who  have  a- 
do  .'M,  can  there  be  any  hesitation  in  awarding  the  palm  of  superiori* 

t; 

or  wild  goose,  when  formed  into  a  phalanx  for  migration, 
v>1  a  wedge. 

...ients  were  so  much  puzzled  about  the  migration  of  birds, 
shat  \iey  su prosed  it  extended  to  the  moon,  yet  it  is  now  no  longer  a  mystery. 
T  .  •  departure  of  the  swallow  has  been  a  subject  of  more  speculation  and  fable 
thd".'  that  of  any  other  bird.  The  estimable  Bartram  told  dr.  Barton,  that  be 
haa  seen,  in  the  autumn,  lame  flocks  of  all  our  four  species  of  swallows,  on 
th'-u'  return  southward  from  Pennsylvania,  through  Carolina,  Florida,  &c.  and  iu 
th"  spring  on  their  return  to  the  northward  again.  Fragments  of  tht  Natural 
History,  ifc. 

Catesby  supposes,  that  birds  of  passage,  particularly  swallows,  pass  to  the  same 
latitude  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  as  the  northern  latitude  from  whence 
they  came  ;  that  they  retire,  for  instance,  from  Carolina  to  Brazil,  and  particu- 
larly, th.it  our  chimney  swallow  corresponds  with  the  description  of  Margra- 
tius*  andorinha,  which  he  considers  a  fuil  confirmation  of  his  hypothesis.  The 
european  swallows  probably  retire  to  Africa.  Adanson,  when  within  fifty  leagues 
of  Senegal,  caught,  from  the  shrouds  of  the  vessel,  four  european  swallows. 
This  was  on  the  2d  of  October,  1749,  and  they  were  then  retiring  from  the  ap- 
proach of  winter  to  Senegal,  in  tiie  torrid  zone,  where  they  are  never  seen  but 
at  this  season  of  the  year,  along  with  wagtails,  kites,  quails,  and  other  birds 
of  passage,  and  they  only  spend  the  winter,  without  building  nests,  or  produciug 
young.  Our  chimney  swallow  is  not  known  in  Europe.  And  our  hirundo  rus- 
tica  is  not  precisely  like  that  of  Europe  ;  it  disagrees  particularly  in  the  colour 
•f  the  breast,  which,  iu  the  latter,  is  white,  like  that  of  our  bank  swallow, 
whereas  ours  is  ferruginous.  Kalm  says,  that  they  nearly  correspond  in  colour, 
but  that  there  appears  a  small  difference  in  the  note ;  they  are,  probably,  varie- 
ties of  the  same  species.  Dr.  Barton  thinks  that  our  bank  martin,  or  sand  swal- 
low, is  not  the  birundo  riparia  of  Linnaeus.  Kalm,  in  his  voyage  to  this  country, 
saw.  on  the  first  of  September,  about  one  thousand  miles  from  our  coast,  some, 
land  birds  flying  about  the  dlip,  which  he  took  for  sand  martins,  (hirundo  ripa 
ria  ;)  sometimes  they  settled  on  the  ship,  or  on  the  sails ;  they  were  of  a  gray- 
ish brown  colour  on  the  back,  their  breast  white,  and  the  tail  somewhat  furca 
ted.  They  were  driven  away  by  a  heavy  shower  of  rain.  On  the  next  day  a 
swallow  fluttered  about  the  ship,  and  sometimes  settled  on  the  mast,  and  sever 
al  times  it  approached  the  cabin  windows,  as  if  willing  to  take  shelter  there 
Ei  '  ^s  afterward,  within  the  american  gulf,  an  owl  and  a  little  bird  set- 
tled on  the  eails.  On  the  12th  of  September,  a  wood  pecker  of  a  speckled  gray 


92  AOTES    ANU 

colour  on  the  hack,  extremely  fatigued,  and  another  land  bird,  of  the  passerine 
class,  endeavored  to  rest  on  the.  ship.  Kahn's  destination  was  Philadelphia, 
(where  he  arrived  on  the  26th  of  September,)  and  from  the  25th  of  August,  to 
the  beginning  of  September,  the  swallows  retire  from  that  part  of  the  country. 
If  those  seen  by  Kalin  were  not  driven  by  storms  from  their  course,  they  evi- 
dently  intended  to  take  up  their  winter  residence  beyond  sea.  Catesby  says  that 
on  his  voyage  from  England  to  Carolina,(where  he  arrived  on  the  23d  of  May, 
1722,)  in  the  latitude  of  twenty  six  degrees  north,  about  midway  between  the 
two  continents  of  Africa  and  America,  which  he  says  cannot  be  less  than  six 
hundred  leagues,  an  owl  appeared  hovering  over  the  ship,  and  after  some  at- 
tempts to  rest  flew  off;  this  was  on  the  22d  of  March  j  on  that  day  a  hawk  with 
a  white  head,  breast,  and  belly,  appeared  in  like  manner,  and  the  day  after 
som»  swallows,  but  none  ventured  to  alight  on  any  part  of  the  ship.  This  was 
about  the  thue  of  year  when  swallows  return  from  their  winter  migrations,  and 
those  were,  probably,  returning  to  Carolina.  Kalm  met  them  going  to  Africa  in 
the  fall,  when  they  leave  UP,  and  Catesby  met  them  returning  in  the  spring,  when 
they  join  us. 

Our  spring  and  summer  birds  of  passage  continue  with  us  about  six  months,  and 
are  absent  about  that  time.  They  avail  themselves  of  high  and  favorable  winds, 
to  depart  and  return.  A  strong  south  or  southwest  wind,  about  the  beginning  of 
April,  says  Bartram,  never  fails  of  bringing  millions  of  small  birds  of  passage, 
who  appear  very  suddenly  in  spring  ;  and  when  the  pewit  or  phebe,  (musricapa 
fusca,)  the  first  bird  of  passage  which  appears  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  spring,  which 
is  generally  about  the  first  or  middle  of  March,  arrives,  then  pease,  beans, 
and  almost  every  kind  of  esculent  garden  seeds  may  be  planted  without  dan- 
ger of  frost. 

Bartram  distinguishes  birds  as  follows  . 

1.  Those  that  arrive  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  spring,  from  the  south,  and  return 
10  autumn,  after  building  nests  and  rearing  young. 

2.  Those  that  arrive  there  from  the  north,  in  autumn,  where  they  continue  du- 
ring the  winter,  and  return  again  in  spring,  and  these  birds  continue  their  journey 
as  far  south  as  Florida. 

3.  Those  that  arrive  in  Carolina  and  Florida,  in  the  spring,  from  the  south, 
and  breed,  and  return  in  autumn  without  going  further  north. 

4.  Natives  of  Carolina  and  Florida,  where  they  breed  and  continue  all  the 
year. 

5.  The  same  of  Pennsylvania. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


NOTE  22. 

The  rev.  dr.  Miller,  in  his  excellent  work,  entitled  A.  Retrospect  of  the  High 
teenth  Century,  states,  that  there  are  two  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-six 
species  of  birds.  Latham  in  the  first  six  volumes  of  his  Synopsis  of  Birds,  has 
described  ninety-six  genera,  and  two  thousand  and  forty  six  species.  The  ad- 
ditions made  in  his  subsequent  volumes  have  increased  the  number  of  species  to 
three  thousand. 

The  number  of  birds  treated  by  Linnaeus  did  not  greatly  exceed  nine  hundred. 

There  are  in  Great  Britain  three  hundred  and  seven  species  of  birds,  compre- 
hending all  such  a*s  either  visit  that  island  at  uncertain  seasons,  or  are  usually 
domesticated,  as  well  as  those  which  are  known  to  be  constant  inhabitants,  of 
which  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  are  land  birds,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
water  birds. 

I  think  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  there  are,  in  the  United  States 
and  its  territories,  one  thousand  species  of  bird*. 


NOTE   23. 

I  believe  it  may  be  laid  down  as  a  general  rule  that  all  birds  of  the  anas  genus 
may  be  domesticated.  That  beautiful  bird,  the  summer  or  wood  duck,  (anas 
sponsa,)  and  the  black  duck,  (anas  obscura,  or  nigra,)  I  have  seen  in  a  state  of 
domestication.  Mr.  Cornelius  Bergen,  of  King's  county,  about  the  latter  end  of 
April,  put  fifteen  eggs  of  the  black  duck,  on  which  the  old  one  was  sitting,  under 
a  dunghill  hen  j  the  next  day  twelve  young  were  hatched,  of  which  he  raised 
eleven  ;  one  of  them  flew  away  in  August,  and  returned  in  November,  with 
a  strange  male,  which  was  taken  and  tamed.  It  mixes  readily  with  the  common 
duck,  and  their  offspring  are  productive.  It  lays  a  great  many  eggs,  and  has  two 
broods  in  a  year.  Latham  says,  that  the  american  wigeon,  (anas  americana,) 
or  pheasant  duck,  as  it  is  called  at  New- York,  has  been  domesticated  j  its  flesh 
is  most  excel  lent. 

Lewis  and  Clarke  saw,  on  the  Missouri,  a  small  species  of  goose  differing  con- 
siderably from  the  Canadian  goose,  and  beautiful  white  brants,  which,  no  doubt, 
might  be  domesticated. 

Scudder  has,  in  his  museum,  two  specimens  of  non-descript  geese,  shot  on  Long 
Island,  and  never  seen  before.  One  ho  call?  the  brant  goose,  and  supposes  it  to 


94  JSOTES  A  KB 

be  a  hydrid,  produced  by  the  Canada  goose  and  the  brant ;  the  ether  is  of  a  dark 
cinerous  colour,  and  is  rather  smaller  than  the  wild  goose. 

The  anas  cygnoides  orientals,  or  Muscovy  gandei,  breeds  with  the  common 
Soose  ;  and  the  anas  aegyptiaca,  about  the  size  of  the  common  goose,  is  a  beau- 
tiful bird  ;  they  are  common  in  gentlemen's  ponds  in  England,  and  might  be  in- 
troduced into  this  country. 

A  variety  of  the  anas  boschas,  or  common  due':,  with  a  hooked  bill,  is  kept  ia 
Germany,  almost  to  the  exclusion  of  the  common  sort.  The  french,  or  gray 
duck,  is  much  larger  than  the  common. 

The  swan  is  domesticated  in  Europe,  and  has  been  brought  here.  Neither 
this  bird  nor  the  wild  goose  will  breed,  unless  measures  are  taken  to  accommo- 
date them  with  appropriate  places  for  that  purpose.  Islets  oujht  to  be  made  in 
their  ponds,  surrounded  with  high  grass,  in  order  that  they  may  be  allured  to 
make  their  nests,  and  where  they  may  sit  without  disturbance. 

Dr.  Barton  says,  that  the  Indians  of  Carolina  had  domesticated  a  large  bird  of 
the  family  of  the  grallee,  or  waders,  and  no  doubt  several  birds  of  this  genus 
might  be  reclaimed  from  their  wild  state,  and  rendered  useful. 

The  hoco  cpes  by  different  names :  it  is  called  curasso  in  Brazil,  and  in  Suri- 
nam it  is  called  the  powesa,  and  peacoxrk  pheasant ;  it  is  about  the  size  of  a 
common  turkey ;  is  a  beautiful  bird  ;  the  flesh  is  excellent ;  it  is  the  crax  alec- 
tor  of  Linnaeus.  Scudder  has  a  beautiful  specimen  in  his  museum.  It  is  sold  at 
Parimariebo  for  more  than  a  guinea  a-piece,  and  it  ought  to  be  naturalized 
here. 

The  peruvian  hen,  or  crax  rubra,  has  been  introduced  into  England.  The 
ficsh  is  white,  and  esteemed  good.  The  climate  of  that  country  is  supposed  not 
to  be  warm  enough  for  it,  as  the  toes  are  apt  to  rot  off.  Beside  these,  there  are 
in  Guiana  and  Brazil,  a  new  species  of  dunghill  hens  from  the  interior,  the  yacon 
of  Cayenne,  which  is  larger  than  a  fowl,  and  breeds  in  a  domestic  state,  the  din 
don,  or  meleagris  cristata  of  Linnaeus,  which  inhabits  Brazil,  where  it  is  tamed, 
and  the  flesh  is  much  liked  ;  the  parraka  of  Buffon,  and  hannaquam  of  Bancroft, 
the  size  of  a  small  fowl,  its  flesh  good,  and  it  is  in  a  domestic  state ;  and  also  le 
marail  of  Buffon,  and  marrodee  of  Bancroft,  about  the  dimensions  of  a  fowl.  ] 
cim  not  certain  but  that  some  of  these  are  the  same  bird  under  a  different  name 
If  our  climate  is  too  cold  for  them,  they  may  answer  in  the  southern  states. 

It  may  also  be  considered  a  general  rule  that  all  birds  of  the  columba  genuf 
may  be  domesticated.  Our  poultry  may,  in  this  respect,  be  greatly  improved 
hot  only  in  variety,  but  in  size. 

The  great  crowned  indian  pigeon  (columba  coronata)  has  been  brought  to 
Europe  alive  from  the  East  Indies,  where  it  is  kept  as  domestic  poultry.  It  i? 
as  large  as  a  turkey. 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  9O 

in  Java,  Celebes,  and  Ceylon,  there  are  eighteen  or  twenty  species  of  wood 
pigeons,  some  of  which  arc  as  large  as  a  small  hen. 

We  have  no  pheasant  in  this  country.  Governor  Wentworth,  of  New-Hamp- 
shire, brought  several  pairs  of  pheasants  from  England,  and  let  them  fly  in  hi? 
woods  at  Wolf  borough,  but  they  have  not  since  been  seen.  It  is  the  phasianus 
:olchicus  of  Linnseus,  is  the  size  of  a  fowl,  and  produces  cross  breeds  with  hens  ; 
this  production  is  supposed  to  be  the  origin  of  the  game  cock.  It  appears  from 
Hartlib's  Legacy  that  in  1650  these  birds  were  kept  tame  in  great  numbers,  and 
he  mentions  a  tady  who  raised  two  hundred  one  spring. 

The  China  pheasant  (phasianus  pictus)  is  a  hardy,  beautiful  bird,  and  might 
be  easily  naturalized :  it  breeds  with  common  pheasants.  Scudder  has  a  bird 
of  thi?  kii.'i,  and  the  golden  pheasant  of  the  same  country,  in  his  museum  The 
golden  pheasant,  and  a  pheasant  called  the  ring  pheasant,  a  variety  of  the 
common  one,  have  been  found  at  large  in  England, 

The  Padua  cock  and  hen  weigh  from  eight  to  ten  pound,  and  is  a  variety  of 
the  phasianus  gallus,  or  dunghill  cock. 

The  phasianus  gallus  exists  in  a  wild  state  on  some  of  the  moors  in  the  north- 
ern counties  of  Scotland  ;  the  eggs  are  nearly  double  the  size  of  ordinary  egg:, 
A  variety  of  the  tame  kind  has  two  toes  behind,  instead  of  one;  of  a  large 
breed  one  has  weighed  fourteen  pounds.  Another  frizzled  variety  has  the  fea- 
thers curled  up ;  the  flesh  is  firm  and  delicate ;  it  is  a  tender  kind,  brought 
originally  from  the  East  Indies.  The  turkish  cocks  and  hens  are  said  to  differ 
from  ours  in  the  variety  and  beauty  of  their  colours. 

Clavigero  says,  that  there  are  two  kinds  of  pheasants  in  Mexico,  of  the  siy.- 
of  a  goose,  with  a  crest  on  their  heads,  which  thfy  can  raise  and  depress  a1: 
pleasure,  that  they  are  distinguishable  by  their  colour,  and  some  particular 
qualities.  The  first  is  called  the  royal  pheasant,  or  co.-folitti,  and  has  a  tawny 
coloured  plumage,  and  its  flesh  is  more  delicate  than  that  of  the  other.  The 
latter  is  named  tipetotohl,  and  will  sometimes  pick  from  his  master's  hand,  rnee t 
him  with  signs  of  joy,  shut  the  door  with  his  bill,  and  fight  like  a  cock  in  poultry 
yards ;  his  feathers  are  of  a  shining  black,  and  his  legs  and  feet  ash-coloured. 

The  tetrao  francolinus  of  Linnsus  is  as  large  as  the  common  partridge,  i£ 
inhabits  the  warmer  parts  of  Europe ;  it  may  be  kept  iu  aviaries  where  it 
breeds  freely. 

The  tetrao  rufus  greek,  or  great  red  partridge,  is  larger  than  the  common 
one. 

The  red  legged  partridge,  or  tetrao  rufus,  has  been  let  loose  in  its  wild  state 
ia  England ;  they  are  all  over  Europe,  \sia.  and  Africa,  and  are  so  tame  iu 
the  isle  of  Scio,  according  to  Tournefort,  that  they  may  be  driven  to  seek 
food  hi  the  fields  like  so  many  sheep. 


9t>  M)TES  AM) 

The  tetrao  perdrix,  the  common  partridge  of  Europe,  is  not  larger  than  our 
quail,  (tetrao  marilandus;)  with  a  little  encouragement  they  have  been  made 
as  tame  as  common  poultry  j  they  will  not  breed  in  a  state  of  confinement ;  but 
if  the  eggs  are  placed  under  a  hen,  she  will  hatch  them  and  rear  the  young  as 
her  own  chickens.  Willoughby  says,  that  a  certain  Sussex  man  had,  by  his 
industry,  made  a  covey  of  partridges  so  tame,  that  he  drove  them  before  him 
in  consequence  of  a  wager,  out  of  that  county  to  London,  though  they  were  ab- 
solutely free,  and  had  their  wings  grown. 

The  common  quail  (tetrao  coturnix)  is  a  migrating  bird,  spread  all  over  the 
old  world,  is  seen  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  Iceland ;  comes  north  in 
spring  and  departs  south  in  autumn.  It  is  about  the  size  of  our  robin,  and  is 
not  in  this  country. 

The  gold-breasted  trumpeter  (psophia  crepitans)  inhabits  various  parts  of 
South  America,  is  near  the  size  of  a  turkey  j  its  flesh  is  as  good  as  that  of  a 
pheasant;  it  is  called  agame  by  the  french,  and  cani-cami  in  Surinam;  it  is 
most  easily  tamed  and  a  great  friend  to  man,  whom  it  follows,  caresses,  and 
even  seems  to  protect,  with  the  attachment  of  a  dog  j  it  is  reared  for  domestic 
uses,  and  fed  among  other  poultry. 

The  jabiru,  or  crane  of  Surinam,  is  larger  than  a  stork  ;  its  head  and  primary 
feathers  of  the  wing  and  tail  are  blac^,  it  lives  entirely  on  fish,  and  is  domestica- 
ted in  poultry  yards. 

I  have  thus  enumerated  between  thirty  and  forty  species  of  birds,  most  of 
which  may  be  kept  as  domestic  poultry,  and  all  of  them  may  be  made  ornamen- 
tal or  useful.  Indeed,  we  have  the  authority  of  scripture  to  a  much  greater  ex- 
tent. St.  James  says,  "  every  kind  of  beast,  and  of  birds,  and  of  serpents,  and 
things  in  the  sea,  is  tamed  and  hath' been  tamed  of  mankind." 

It  is  hoped  that  these  hints  may  have  a  tendency  to  attract  the  public  atten- 
tion to  this  useful  branch  of  domestic  economy. 


The  fish-market  o/ New- Vork  may  be  considered  as  the  general  deposite  of 
every  eatable,  and  every  curious  inhabitant,  of  the  waters.  Every  thing  that 
gratifies  the  appetite  for  food  or  for  novelty,  centres  here. 

Notwithstanding  this,  it  is  an  extraordinary  fact,  that  until  dr.  Mitchill  com- 
mented his  investigations,  there  was  not  a  good  catalogue  of  our  Sshes  j  and  it 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  97 

,s  well  known,  that  New-York  is  very  seldom  mentioned  in  the  books  of  ichthy- 
ology. 

That  distinguished  gentleman  commenced  his  labors  in  November,  1813  ;  and 
he  began  at  the  very  elements.  Every  sort  of  fish  was  procured,  examined,  and 
described.  The  specimen  and  the  description  were  next  compared  with  those  in 
the  best  books  ;  he  frequently  dissected  the  individuals  which  he  had  described, 
in  order  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  internal  marks  and  characters,  and 
sometimes  he  satisfied  himself  experimentally  on  their  qualities  as  food. 

He  also  availed  himself  of  various  ichthyological  assistance,  and  more  especial- 
ly of  the  General  Zoology  of  Shaw,  the  General  History  of  Fishes  by  Bloch,  and 
the  Museum  Ichthyologicum  of  Gronovius. 

The  classification  has  been  attended,  in  several  respects,  with  difficulty.  He 
has  adopted  the  five  orders  of  apodal,  jugular,  thoracic,  abdominal,  and  cartila- 
ginous ;  but  in  some  cases  there  were  doubts  about  the  genus,  and  in  some  in- 
stances about  the  species.  There  is  reason  to  suppose,  that  many  of  the  spe 
cies  are  non-descripts.  The  whole  which  the  doctor  has  examined  and  described 
amount  to  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  species  and  varieties.  And  in  ad- 
dition to  this,  he  has  made  great  progress  in  describing  the  cete,  or  whales  ;  the 
testacea,  and  Crustacea,  forming  the  shell  fish  ;  and  the  mollusca,  constituting 
the  soft,  boneless,  and  gelatinous  class  of  animals.  Dr.  Mitchill's  account  of 
the  codfishes  of  New-York  may  be  seen  in  the  Amer.  Med.  and  Philos.  RegH- 
ter,  vol.  4. 

If  the  whole  world  contains  one  thousand  species  of  fish,  as  is  said,  it  is  not  un- 
reasonable to  suppose,  that  the  United  States  and  their  dependencies  contain  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred.  Our  western  lakes  furnish  a  great  number ;  and 
as  our  waters  are  discharged  into  every  ocean  that  surrounds  America,  there 
can  be  no  hesitation  in  assenting  to  the  reasonableness  of  this  estimate.  The 
work  of  the  doctor  is  now  ready  for  publication.  It  ought  to  be  accompanied  by 
engravings,  taken  from  correct  drawings ;  and  as  the  expense  of  such  an  under- 
taking is  enormous,  the  munificent  patrons  of  science  and  geniu?,  and  our  en- 
lightened public  bodies,  ought  to  come  forward  and  promote  the  publication  of 
a  work  so  interesting,  undertaken  and  executed  by  one  who  has  done  as  much 
for  the  honour  of  american  science  and  literature  as  any  man  living. 

As  connected  generally  with  this  subject  I  am  happy  to  have  it  in  my  power 
to  furnish  a  literary  curiosity.  It  is  a  poetical  version,  by  dr.  Mltchill,  of  the 
third  Piscatory  Eclogue  of  Saunazarius,  who  is  thus  characterized  by  dr.  Blair  : 
14  Sannazarius,  a  famous  latin  poet,  in  the  age  of  Leo  X.  attempted  a  bold  inno- 
vation. He  composed  piscatory  eclogue?,  charging  the  scene  from  woods  to  the 
sea,  and  from  the  life  of  shepherds  to  that  of  fishermen.  But  tfie  innovation  wa; 

so  unhappy  thnt  he  Ha?  gnineri  no  followers.     For  th?  life  of  fishermen  is,  obv!- 

X 


98  NOTES   AND 

erasly,  much  more  hard  and  toilsome  than  that  of  shepherds,  and  presents  to  the 
fancy  much  less  agreeable  images.  Flocks,  and  trees,  and  flowers,  are  objects  of 
greater  beauty,  and  more  generally  relished  by  men,  than  fishes  and  marine  pro- 
ductions." This  may  be  true  to  a  certain  extent ;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  a 
description  of  the  simplicity,  activity,  and  variety  of  piscatory  life,  has  not  its 
charms  and  attractions,  as  well  ae  a  delineation  of  the  tranqurlity  and  composure 
of  the  pastoral  state.  It  is  well  known  that  those  who  devote  themselves  to  the 
sports  of  the  waters,  and  the  active  pursuits  of  the  fisherman  and  seaman,  cannot 
be  induced  to  change  their  destination  ;  and  surely  poetical  representations,  cal- 
culated to  recall  to  the  memory  scenes  of  such  delight,  and  to  awaken  the  mind 
to  their  contemplation,  are  worthy  of  the  best  efforts  of  genius,  and  deserving  of 
the  highest  encomiums  of  taste  and  just  criticism.  Sannazarius  wrote  five  eclogue?. 
The  third  now  published  is  called  Mopsus,  and  has  a  considerable  resemblance 
to  Virgil's  Palaemon.  It  is  a  conversation  in  which  four  speakers  take  their  part. 
Their  names  are  Celadon,  Mopsus,  Chromis,  and  lolas.  The  contending  fisher- 
men extol  the  charms  of  their  mistresses,  Chloris  and  Nisa,  as  the  most  lovely 
and  excellent  of  their  sex.  At  last  Mopsus  decides  that  both  have  acquitted 
themselves  well,  and  rewards  one  with  a  speckled  shell,  and  the  other  with  a 
branch  of  coral. 

The,  third  Piscatory  Eclogue  of  Sannazarius. 
ARGUMENT. 

Tlie  sctne  of  this  eclogue  is  in  the  island  of  Inarime,  called  also  Pithecusa 
and  JEnaria,  lying  westward  of  Misenum  and  southwest  from  the  city  of  Na 
pies.  Prochytes  or  Prochyta  is  a  smaller  island,  situated  between  the  former 
and  the  beforementioned  head-land. 

The  speakers  in  the  poem  are  inhabitants  of  these  islands.  At  least  Chro- 
mis,  one  of  the  contending  lovers,  seems  to  be  a  native  of  ^Enaria  ;  and  lolas 
his  competitor,  appears  to  reside  upon  Prochytes. 

The  Lucrine  lake  or  pond  was  not  far  from  Bauli.  This  was  the  place  to 
•which  the  fishing  party  was  driven  by  the  southern  storm.  Bauli  stands  west 
of  Naples,  upon  the  continent,  near  Bain:,  on  the  shore  of  the  Tyrrhene  bay, 
or  Sinus  Tyrrhenus. 

Parthenope  is  a  village  a  little  beyond  the  river  Sebethos,  east  of  Naples. 

Mopsus  after  his  return  to  luarime,  informs  Celadon  wliat  occurrences  hat3, 
befallen  tbe  party  at  Bauli 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

MOPSUS. 

CELADON,  MOPSUS,  CHROMIS,  IOLAS, 
CELADOX. 

Come  tell  me,  Mopsus,  (since,  as  JEgon  Says, 
Tlie  storm  at  Bauli  kept  you  fourteen  days,) 
How  you  and  Chromis,  and  lolas,  fared,  , 

While  all  his  rage  the  furious  south  prepared. 
Did  you,  while  he  insulted  sea  and  waves, 
Find  any  pastime  in  your  dreary  caves? 

Mopsis. 

What  could  our  muses,  Celadon,  perform, 
Listless  and  torpid,  midst  the  roaring  storm  ? 
While  conchs  untouched  escaped  our  active  hands, 
And  crabs  eight  footed  safely  kept  the  sands. 
Our  boat  was  lodged  in  safety  high  ashore, 
Our  nets  extended  hung  from  oar  to  oar  j 
Beneath  our  feet  the  hooks  and  baskets  lay, 
And  rods,  and  seines,  and  weirs  obstruct  our  way 

Then  Chromis  fine   Inarime  snrvey'd  j 
From  you  our  skiff  came  hither,  grieved  he  said  5 
(Ah,  hapless  exile)  while  our  sovereign's  cause 
His  youthful  bands  beyond  the^  ocean  draws. 
One  war  despatched,  another  soon  begins, 
And  lands  remote  the  king  victorious  wins. 
He  thunders  where  Liguria's  rocks  abound, 
And  where  the  peaked  Stcechades  are  found. 
Beyond  the  Rhodanus  our  legions  shone, 
(I  think  Amilcon  said  it  was  the  Rhone,) 
Beheld  the  strand  where  ocean  swells  his  tide, 
And  banks  from  which  blue  britons  were  descried  • 
Who,  when  the  water  ebbs,  (if  fame  speaks  true,) 
Catch  fish  in  plenty  left  exposed  tojview.    ' 


100  NOTES  APJD 

Renew  net  now  my  woes,  lolas  cried ; 

But  put,  oh  Chromis,  this  discourse  aside  ;• 

For  Lycabae  alarm  sufficient  gave, 

When  late  we  paddled  on  the  Lucrine  wave. 

In  farthest  climes  he  saw  the  setting  sun, 

Beyond  the  waves  and  clouds  his  journey  ruo  ; 

Just  as  from  ou«  Cajeta  he  descends, 

And  far  beyond  the  land  his  circuit  ends ; 

No  noise  is  heard  as  down  his  chariot  bends. 

The  people's  different  modes  he  understood  ; 

T£eir  oaken  houses  and  their  huts  of  wood  ; 

Their  cities,  places,  names,  and  tribes  he  knew  ; 

The  bellovacians,  and  morinoes  too, 

And  rough  tarbellians; — words  pronounced  with  pain,- 

How  rivers  wandered  through  a  breadth  of  plain ; 

How  iwne  new  Loire  he  sailed  with  covered  pro'w  j — 

But  other  cares  demand  attention  now. 

Do  thou,  since  love  of  Chloris  warms  thy  veins, 

Ascend  this  rock  and  alternate  my  strains  ; 

Mopsus  will  hear,  and  succouring  our  need, 

Pour  forth  the  music  of  his  slender  reed. 

They  said,  and  I  agreed ;  without  command 

My  sounding  pipe  I  quickly  took  in  hand  j 

And  as  by  turns  the  swains  their  silence  broke, 

I  furnished  music  to  the  words  they  spoke  j 

Nor  more  delay,  his  voice  blythe  Chromis  tried, 

And  quick  responding  lolas  replied. 

CHROMIS. 

Ye  nereids,  holy  maids  of  ocean  !  bear 
Gifts  from  your  floods  to  please  my  cruel  fair  j 
Or?  if  she  slight  them,  search  the  deeps  around 
Till  for  my  desperate  love  a  cure  be  found. 

lOLAS. 

Ye  sirens,  powers  revered  !  attend  my  prayer ; 
Let  Nisa  own  me,  and  her  slights  forbear  ; 
Or  see  m^  «iie  ;    Jbeneatii  the  rolling  wave 
Midst  rocks  and  sea-wrack  1  shall  find  a  grave, 


ILLUSTRATIONS-       ,         .''-/.        ,':''• 

CHROMIS. 

As  wkerries  on  the  level  surface  glide, 
When  breathing  zephyrs  gently  curl  the  tide, 
And  on  their  seats  the  rowers  careless  lie  ;— 
When  Chloris  loved  me,  just  so  calm  was  I. 

*  IOLAS. 

Behold  the  rocks  when  angry  billows  sweep 

And  from  the  bottom  raise  the  troubled  deep ; 

The  rocks  are  moved,  the  earth  with  trembling  groan; ; — 

Is  this  the  picture  of  my  Nisa's  frowns  ? 

CHROMIS. 

Oh  Proteus,  shepherd  of  the  sea,  oh  sire, 
Oh  king,  attend  a  love-sick  swain's  desire  ^ 
Go  thou  to  distant  Pithecuse,  and  there 
To  Hyale  the  proud,  at  once  declare, 
To  tend  my  sea-born  monsters  is  thy  care 

IOLAS. 

Yon  rock,  that  stands  not  far  from  shore,  shall  prove 

A  firm  memorial  of  my  steadfast  love ; 

Swim  to  it,  Glaucus,  and  to  Nisa  say, 

Lest,  from  my  hardened  hands  she  turn  away, 

That  thou  to  land  dost  haul  my  scaly  prey.  •. 

CHROMIS. 

Cyprus  to  Venus,  Crete  to  Jove,  is  dear  ; 
To  Juno  Samos,  Vulcan  Lemnos,  near  ; 
But  while  ^Enaria  shall  my  mistress  suit, 
Samos  and  Lemnos  fall  to  disrepute: 

IOLAS. 

Mars  Rhodope,  Phoebe  Ortygia,  loves,     . 
Mercury  Cyllene,  Pallas  Hymettus'  groves ; 
But  while  Prochytes  is  my  darling's  spot, 
JHymettos  and  Ortygia  sink  to  nought. 


NOTES   AND 

CHROMIS. 

Here  caves,  and  rocks,  and  withs  for  nets  abound. 
And  rush  and  myrtle  cluster  thick  around  j 
Was  Phyllis  present,  or  was  Chloris  by, 
How  well  could  I  the  raging  winds  defy  ! 

o 

lOLAS. 

Without  my  Nisa  nothing  seems  to  please, 
The  lands  are  sad,  and  comfortless  the  seas  j 
I  hate  my  hooks  and'nets ;  with  her  before 
To  fish  were  charming,  even  on  Lybia's  shore, 

CHROMIS. 

Sinuessa  mackrel,  soles  Dinarchus  deals, 
Hercuiia  mullets,  and  Amalphi  eels ; 
With  blooming  girls  Parthenope  is  gay  ; — 
Who  now  shall  bid  me  seek  elsewhere  for  prey  ? 

IOLAS, 

Gudgeon  JH  rivers,  dragonet  in  weeds, 
Squid  midst  the  reefs,  in  open  water  feeds 
The  lamprey  ;  I  any  IVisa's  threshold  court  j 
What  happier  island  has  so  good  a  port  ? 

Morsirs. 

Thus  I  remember  how  the  rocks  among 
With  various  strife  they  safe  and  sheltered  sung  ; 
And  praise  and  presents  earn'd,  befitting  those 
To  whom  his  commendation  Triton  shows  : 
One  gets  the  shell  I  div'd  from  Circe's  ground^, 
With  specks  and  purple  beautified  around  j 
The  other  gains  a  coral  in  its  pride, 
With  Jcnobs  and  branches  well  diyersified. 


ILLVSTRATIOSS.  103 

(Additional  article  procured  from  dr.  Mitchill  by  (he  editor.) 

The  fifth  piscatory  eclogue  of  James  Sanuazarhis,  entitled  HKRPYLIS  FHAE- 
MACEUTRIA.  It  is  dedicated  to  Cassandra  Marchese.  The  speakers  are  two. 

DORYLAS  and  THELGON.     (Scene  the  city  of  Naples.) 

U  is  by  no  means  unlikely,  that  Sannazarius  derived  his  idea  of  introducing 
fishermen  into  poetical  compositions,  from  Theocritus,  who  wrote  at  Syracuse 
in  Sicily.  That  writer's  first  Idyl  in  Greek,  is  entitled  Thyrsis  One  of  the 
speakers  in  the  dialogue  is  a  goatherd,  who  encourages  Thyrsis  to  sing,  by  the 
offer  of  a  cup,  on  which  many  fine  things  were  carved,  and  among  others,  an 
agedjishtrman  among  rude  rocks,  droning  his  net  with  great  labour.  You  would 
say  that  he  fished  with  all  the  strength  he  possessed.  For  his  veins  sndl  in  his 
neck  ;  and  he  appears  as  robust  as  a  youth.  And  nol  far  from  this  old  water- 
man, is  seen  a  vine  beautifully  loaded  nith  ruddy  grapes.  And  in  the  third 
Idyl,  a  despairing  lover  declares  that  he  mill  leap  into  the  wares,  where  Olpis 
the  fisherman  is  on  the  natch  for  tunnies,  (a  sort  of  large  mackrel.) 

This  eclogue  may  be  considered  as  having  three  distinct  parts,  first,  the  dedi- 
catory verses  ;  secondly,  Dorylas's  recital  of  thefmagical  rites  and  words  of  ex- 
ecration practised  by  the  enchantress  Herpylis,  against  the  ungrateful  and  per- 
fidious Maeon,  who  by  deserting  the  lass  that  loved  him,  had  driven  her  to  dig- 
traction  ;  and  thirdly ^Thelgon's  narrative  of  his  passion  for  the  beautiful  Ga- 
latea, whose  coldness  and  aversion  he  endeavours  to  overcome  by  a  confession 
of  his  ardent  sincerity,  and  an  enumeration  of  his  valuable  qualities  and  posses- 
sions. The  whole  is  modelled  upon  the  eighth  eclogue  of  Virgil  j  with  an  in- 
version of  the  order  of  the  topics  j  the  elegy  in  Virgil's  eclogue  being  first,  and 
the  imprecation  last.  Virgil  had  copied  his  first  part  from  the  third  idyl  ot 
Theocritus ;  and  his  second  part  from  the  second  idyl  of  the  same. 

But,  let  us  now  the  well-known  loves  relate ; 
Which,  as  young  Dorylas  and  Thelgon  sat 
Beneath  the  hanging  rock's  refreshing  shade, 
And  sung  ;  along  the  shores  a  murmur  made : 
To  glassy  Platamon  where  mermaids  lave 
And  Serapis'  sacred  fount  and  cave. 

If  aught  of  honour  to  the  sea  belong, 
Attend,  Cassandra,  and  approve  my  son* ; 


104  MOTES  AN.U 

Whether  palladian  looms  before  thee  spread 
Maeonian  gold  and  nice  arachne's  thread  j 
Or  dancing  dryads,  and  Diana's  maids 
Thou  join,  thyself  a  Dian ;  and  the  glades 
Of  fair  Prochy  tes  and  thy  native  place 
Behold  thee  quiver-arm'd  pursue  the  chase  j 
Or  from  thy  palace  of  Dicliarcus  view 
The  playful  gambols  of  the  nereid-crew. 
Nor  will  thy  generous  soul  the  attempt  refuse 
Of  an  unbidden  and  a  grateful  muse. 
For  future  ages  shall  rejoice  to  see 
Sannazar's  verses  pay  respect  to  thee. 
If  but  Apollo  and  his  tuneful  nine 
Shall  waft  me  smoothly  o'er  the  level  brine, 
Our  names  and  friendship  shall  survive  decay  ;— 
But  Dorylas  recites,  and  we  must  hear  his  lay. 

DORYLAS. 

Herpylis,  of  the  Euboic  sisters  one, 
Had  to  Sebethos'  watery  surface  gone  ; 
Herpylis,  who  as  Al con's  pupil  shone 
Alcon  to  Phoebus  and  the  muses  known. 
Her  sister  too  concurring  in  the  thought 
Of  efforts  joint,  her  working-basket  brought. 
With  locks  dishevell'd  and  her  left  foot  bare 
She  mutters  long,  and  thus  accosts  the  air 

Construct  an  altar,  roscid  lymph  obtain, 
And  hoary  wormwood  cropp'd  on  yonder  plain. 
Him,  Him,  my  magic  spells  shall  scorch  and  tear, 
Who  drove  a  wretched  damsel  to  despair. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race, 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

My  brazen  rhomb  hcemonian  arts  shall  try, 
Dispel  the  rains  and  clear  the  clouded  sky ; 
Such  power  it  hath,  and  such  its  wondrous  sway, 
It  draws  the  quivering  fishes  forth  to  day. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  racr-, 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pacp 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

This  flag  which  from  the  swelling  ocean  came 
Is  dry 'd,  and  then  consumed  by  rapid  flame ; 
So  may  his  punishment  false  Maeon  meet 
And  burn  to  cinders  with  devouring  heat. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

Thrice,  moss  and  elawless  crabs  in  fire  I  placed  ; 

And  said,  by  fire  let  Maeon's  bowels  waste. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

With  weeping  dewy  wet  this  sponge  appears  ; 

Oh  sea-grown  sponge  imbibe  my  copious  tears  ; 

And  as  thy  thirsty  pores  the  drops  inhale 

Mayst  thou  ungratelul  Maeon's  breast  assail. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

The  pumice  fattens  as  the  waves  subside 
That  toss'd  by  winds,  convey'd  it  far  and  wide } 
But  how  can  I,  oppress'd  by  poignant  grief, 
From  empty  words  and  moaning,  hope  relief? 
And  all  the  wrongs  by  graceless  Maeon  done 
Shall  I  content  repay  in  words  alone  ? 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

Come  forth  with  jagged  sting,  thou  poisonous  ray  ; 
And  thou  who  stoppest  the  sailing  vessel's  way 
Remora,  come  j  let  one  base  Maeon  wound, 
\nd  one  arrest  his  footsteps  o'er  the  ground. 
Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

A  black  torpedo's  spume  and  liver  choose, 
And  pound  and  mix  the  dose  with  potent  juice; 
I  shall  to-morrow  send  the  dread  regale  j 
He'll  drink,  and  instant  find  his  vigour  fiU. 
O 


106  ROTES  AKD 

Revolve  thou  wheel,  my  bands  pursue  your  race 
And  whirl  o  spindle  with  a  hurried  pace. 

As  skilful  JSgle  bids,  to  pieces  tear 
In  eastern  seas  matured,  the  slow  sea-hare, 
And  draw  his  subtle  poison  forth ;  then  go 
And  with  it  daub  the  threshold  of  my  foe. 
The  porch  besmear'd  shall  penetrate  his  nerves, 
And  cause  a  torment  that  his  crime  deserves. 
Desist  o  wheel,  my  bands  relax  your  race 
And  turn  thou  spindle  with  a  gentler  pace. 

For  me,  to  fragments  break  a  halcyon's  nest. 
The  charm  is  good  to  lull  the  waves  to  rest j 
Perhaps  it  may  compose  the  tumult  of  my  breast. 
•  Stop  now  my  wheel,  my  bands  suspend  your  racf 
And  rest  o  spindle  from  thy  weary  pace. 

THELGON. 

Beneath  this  rock,  by  Galatea's  side 
I  sat  and  view'd  the  landscape  spreading  wide, 
Capraa's  isle,  the  rocks  with  Siren's  names, 
Herculean  ruins  and  vesuvian  flames. 

Above  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear, 
And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear. 

To  Nereus,  Triton  may  my  sufferings  tell, 
And  sound  my  groans  upon  his  crooked  shell ; 
When  words  of  wo  will  wake  wave- wandering  whales, 
And  rocks  shall  hear  them  floating  on  the  gale,-?. 
Above  the  waves,  thy  bead,  o  Triton,  rear, 
And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear. 

Here,  when  I  first  perceived  a  lover's  flame, 

At  my  request  fair  Galatea  came ; 

She  stretch'd  her  snowy  hand,  but  not  to  strike : 

And  lookM  me  so ;  I  never  saw  the  like. 
Abov^  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear, 
And  let  thy  sea-green  coantenauce  appear . 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  107 

Come  hither  quickly,  darling  care  and  se.e 
I've  quitted  fishers,  boat  and  all,  for  thee. 

Above  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear. 

And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear 

Here  with  intent  to  please  my  lovely  maid, 

The  aspiring  poplar  beautifies  its  shade  : 

1  oft  embrace  it ;  and  with  passion  blind 

Imprint  a  thousand  ki?ses  on  its  rind. 

I  trace  thy  footsteps  o'er  the  yielding  sands, 

And  dress  with  flowers  whatever  touch'd  thy  hands. 

Above  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear, 

And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear. 

Whom  likest  thou  more  than  me  ?  if  verdant  trees 
And  copses  neat  and  browzing  goats  can  please ; 
Ail  these  are  mine ;  I  study  song ;  and  mark 
My  endless  verses  on  the  beechen  bark. 
The  beech-tree  thrives  amidst  my  sculptured  wounds, 
And  forests  echo  with  M analian  sounds. 

Above  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear, 

And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear. 

Or,  oh  my  love,  if  scenes  along  the  shore, 
And  wealth  of  ocean  shall  delight  thee  more  , 
Who  better  skill'd  than  I  the  fish  to  wound, 
With  barbed  tridents  ?  or  with  nets  surround  - 

Above  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton,  rear, 

And  let  thy  sea-green  countenance  appear. 

Could  dextrous  swimming  in  my  favour  plead, 
I'd  beat  the  dolphin's  and  the  tunny's  speed : 
But  wherefore  boast  I  ?  scarcely  can  I  count 
My  hooks'  and  nets'  and  lines'  profuse  amount 
Liguria's  rocks  and  Gallia's  shores  survey'd 
Confess  me  master  of  the  angler's  trade ; 
Varus  and  Arar  like  respect  decree ; 
As  do  the  monsters  of  the  british  sea. 

Beneath  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton  hide. 

Thy  eea-jrpcn  face  cencpal  Wow  t>e  tide, 


NOTES   AMI 

And  yet  thou  shunnest  me ;  hard  unyielding  fair  f 
And  still  1  live  and  breathe  my  native  air; 
Accept  my  presents,  or  no  more  thou'lt  see 
Thy  faithful  Thelgon  bend  the  supple  knee. 
Go,  giddy  girl  !  thy  coquetry  may  gain 
Adventures  new  with  many  a  simple  swain. 
Beneath  the  waves  thy  head,  o  Triton  hide, 
Thy  sea-green  face  conceal  below  the  tide. 


NOTE  25. 


This  is  the  general  opinion  at  Albany,  and  is  alluded  to  by  dr.  Mite  hill,  in  si 
letter  to  the  reverend  dr.  Miller,  (Collections of  the  New-York  Historical  Sod 
fty,  vol.  1.)  where  he  says,  "  it  is  reported  that  the  course  of  the  herrings  was 
more  especially  on  the  west  side  of  the  river."  This  fish  is  not  of  the  same  spe- 
(CJes  which  abounds  at  particular  seasons  in  the  european  seas,  as  dr.  Mitchill  has 
satisfactorily' shown.  The  european  herring  not  only  differs  in  its  appearance, 
but  in  its  manners ;  it  never,  like  ours,  deposites  its  spawn  in  the  waters  of  fresh 
rivers.  Catesby  seems  to  have  given  currency  to  this  mistake,  in  saying,  that 
all  the  sea  and  river  fish  that  he  observed  in  Carolina,  differ  from  those  in  Eu- 
rope of  the  same  kind,  except  pikes,  eels,  and  herrings.  Kalm,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  this  fish,  on  the  other  hand  asserts,  that  what  are  called  her- 
rings in  New-York,  differ  greatly  from  the  european  herrings.  General  Lincoln, 
in  a  very  interesting  letter  to  dr.  Belknap,  (History  of  New  Hampshire,  vol.  3.) 
has  successfully  shown,  that  the  river  fish  never  forsake  the  waters  in  which  they 
are  spawned,  unless  some  unnatural  obstructions  are  thrown  in  their  way  ;  that 
when  obstructed,  they  do  not  seek  new  sources  in  which  they  may  lodge  their 
spawn,  but  that  they  are  so  strongly  allured  to  the  same  route,  that  they  annu- 
ally return  to  their  natural  river,  pressing  constantly  for  a  passage  into  their 
mother  pond  ;  that  the  quiet  waters  of  the  lake  can  alone  give  that  nourishment 
and  protection -necessary  to  the  existence  of  the  egg,  the  preservation  of  which  is 
indispensable  if  an  extinction  of  the  schull  is  to  be  prevented.  I  have  no  doubt, 
therefore,  but  that  the  mode  in  which  our  herrings  ascended  the  river,  is  truly 
stated.  The  Sebastacook  which  falls  into  the  Kennebec,  is  supported  by  numer- 
ous streams  which  abound  with  the  small  river  fish,  such  as  alewives,  &c.  and 
the  inhabitants  of  that  country  say,  that  at  the  time  of  the  running  of  these  fish, 
they  ascend  the  streams  at  distinct  periods  in  succession,  and  that  the  schulls  ne- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  109 

rer  separate,  interfere,  or  transgress  in  their  way  to  their  respective  ponds  or 
lakes.     The  great  spawning  rendezvous  of,our  herrings,  were  the  cool  whole 
eome  waters  of  the  Saratoga  Lake.     At  the  proper  season  the  lake  was  filled 
with  them,  and  they  afforded  abundant  supplies  to  all  the  surrounding  country  ; 
its  outlet  fish  creek  was  obstructed  by  mill-dams,  which  prevented  the  ascent  of 
the  fish.      The  consequences  have  been  not  only  to  exclude  it  from  the  upper 
waters,  but  to  create  a  most  serious  diminution  in  the  waters  below.     If  it  had 
not  been  for  this  obstruction,  we  would  have  had  not  only  a  sufficiency  for  our 
home  supply,  but  a  valuable  article  for  exportation.     The  state  at  large  is  inter- 
ested in  removing  these  barriers  against  the  ascent  of  the  fish.    Let  the  mill-seats 
be  purchased,  the  mill-dams  demolished,  and  the  communication  be  completely 
opened  ;  and  let  herrings,  at  the  time  of  spawning,  be  conveyed  alive  to  the 
Saratoga  Lake  ;  their  offspring  will,  in  due  time,  descend  to  the  ocean,  and  in- 
evitably return.     At  the  first  settlement  of  the  town  of  Hugbam,'in  Massachu- 
setts, the  alewives  were  in  such  plenty  as  to  give  a  full  supply  to  the  inhabitants, 
which  was  destroyed  by  the  erection  of  the  mill-dams,  that  prevented  their  as- 
cent to  a  pond.     The  people  attempted,  after  a  great  lapse  of  time,  the  re-estab- 
lishment of  them,  in  which  they  succeeded  by  opening  proper  fishways  through 
the  mill-dams,  and  conveying  the  fish  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  in  a  proper  vehi- 
cle, into  the  pond  ;  this  was  done  by  keeping  it  near  the  bank  of  the  river,  aud 
frequently  shifting  the  water  in  the  vessel.     After  this,  the  fish  increased  annu- 
ally until  there  was  a  pretty  good  supply,  but  as  there  were  many  shoal  places 
hi  the  river  which  required  very  constant  attention,  the  expense  of  which,  and 
the  loss  sustained  by  stopping  the  mills,  exceeded,  in  the  opinion  of  the  town,  the 
advantages  of  the  fish  ;  the  business  was  neglected,  so  that  for  a  number  of  year=; 
they  have  been  entirely  cut  off  from  the  pond.     Notwithstanding,  some  of  the 
fish  annually  return  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  urging  a  passage  up,  but  they  are 
decreased  in  number  and  reduced  in  size. 

Dr.  Barton  has  very  justly  observed,  that  "  There  is  a  vast  chasm  in  the  His- 
tory of  the  Fish  ;  a  chasm,  too,  in  relation  to  which  I  have  always  deemed  the 
most  interesting  part  of  animal  natural  history,  I  mean  the  instincts,  or  manners, 
or  habits  of  animals.  How  little  do  we  know  of  the  instincts  of  the  fishes  !  forgetting 
that  the  element  in  which  they  live  precludes  us  from  acquiring  an  easy  or  a 
rapid  acquaintance  with  the  mores  of  the  fishes,  and  not  sufficiently  modest  to  ac- 
knowledge their  own  incurious  supiueness,  the  best  naturalists  have  fallen  into 
the  error,  that  fishes  are  a  stupid  race  of  beings  ;  that  they  discover  very  little 
of  ingenuity  ;  and  that  they  are  in  a  great  measure  strangers  to  that  storge,  or 
powerful  affection,  by  which  animals  are  so  generally  attached  to  their  young. 
I  venture  to  assert,  that  very  much  of  what  has  been  said  on  these  subjects,  is 
mere  declamation,  nnsanrtionpd  by  mlarj^d  observation  or  experience  My 


MO  -\OTES  AKrB 

own  inquiries  have  convinced  me  that  we  have  detruded  the  fishes  to  too  low  a 
station  in  the  scale  of  animal  intelligence  and  of  storgal  love."  Discourse  on 
Desiderata  in  Natural  History. 

Dogs  have  been  trained  for  hunting  and  fowling.  The  falcon  has  been  taught 
fora  similar  purpose  j  and  the  cormorant  has  been  rendered  useful  in  catching 
fishes.  But  I  believe,  it  is  not  generally  known,  that  the  indians  of  the  Antilles, 
had  the  art  of  taming  a  species  of  sea-fish,  and  employing  them  to  chase  other 
larger  fish.  Of  this  art,  Oviedo  Gomara,  and  other  writers  make  men- 
tion. 

The  species  of  fish  which  those  indians  trained  to  chase  large  6sh,  as  they 
train  hawks  in  Europe  to  chase  other  birds,  was  rather  small,  called  by  them, 
guaican,  and  by  the  Spaniards,  reverse.  Oviedo  explains  the  manner  in 
which  they  made  use  of  this  fish  to  chase  others.  Clavigero's  Mexico,  vol.  2. 

After  this,  we  certainly  can  have  no  hesitation  in  believing,  that  the  same 
fishes  return  periodically  to  the  waters  of  their  nativity  for  breeding,  and  pursue 
a  prescribed,  nndeviating  course. 


NOTE  26. 

Some  are  of  opinion  that  in  tae  upper  lakes  there  are  salt  water  fishes  which 
,'iave  been  left  there  since  the  retreat  of  the  waters  after  the  general  deluge,  and 
that  they  cannot  return  to  the  ocean  on  account  of  the  cataract  of  Niagara.  A 
•:aptain  of  a  vessel,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  navigation  of  those  lakes, 
assured  me,  that  he  could  in  the  spring  and  fall,  when  the  floods  are  high,  go  with 
his  vessel,  drawing  six  feet  water,  from  Black  Rock  in  Lake  Erie,  to  Lake  Mi- 
chigan, from  thence  up  the  Chicaga  creek,  to  its  then  junction  with  the  Illi- 
nois river,  thence  down  that  river  to  the  Mississippi,  thence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico, and  that  then,  of  course,  he  could  come  round  to  New-York.  The  sea-fish 
could  easily  proceed  in  this  rout  j  if  not,  some  of  them  might  leap  down  the 
falls  and  effect  their  escape. 

There  is  certainly,  however,  a  very  great  resemblance  between  the  fishes  oT 
Lake  Erie  and  the  fishes  of  the  Atlantic. 

1.  The  while  fish  ;  a  most  delicate  fish,  and  superior  to  the  shad  in  fla- 
vour. Its  head  and  month  are  like  those  of  onr  shad,  and  so  is  the  fish  gene- 
.  rally. 


ILLUSTRATION.  Ill 

2.'    Herring  ;  thicker  through  the  body,  and  nearly  the  saute  length  as  that 
on  the  sea-coast.     It  resembles  the  Nova  Scotia  herring. 

3.  Sheep's  head  ;  like  ours,  but  no  teeth ;  a  hard,  dry  fish. 

4.  Basse  ;    is  a  dutch  word,   signifying  perch.     Black,  or  Osnego,  baait,  a 
iine  fish,  like  our  black  fish. 

5.  Reck  basse  ;  like  the  sea  basse. 

6.  White  b&sse  ;  in  shape  like  our  white  perch,  but  rather  longer.    The 
tail  resembles  that  of  the  rock  fish,  and  its  sides  are  striped. 

7.  Sturgeon ;  is  the  largest  fish  in  the  lake.     It  has  no  dorsal  fin.     In  re- 
spect to  shape,  it  is  similar  to  that  in  the  Hudson,  and  has  the  same  habit  of 
vaulting. 

Sturgeon  have  been  caught  in  Lake  Ontario  weighing  one  hundred  pounds. 

8.  Sun  fish. 

9.  Musquenonges,  or  pickerel ;  a  fine  fish  ;   it  has  been  caught  forty-fire 
pounds  in  weight. 

10.  Pike. 

11.  Very  large  snapping  turtles. 

12.  Muscles. 

13.  Cray  fish  ;  a  species  is  found  in  all  our  small  streams  exactly  like  the 
european  :  but  they  have  greatly  diminished. 

14.  A  species  of  clams. 

15.  Sword,  or  gar,  fish. 

This  catalogue  is  very  imperfect ;  for  there  are,  besides  these,  a  number  oi 
other  kinds. 

Salmon  have  been  caught,  iu  the  Seneca  liver,  in  every  month  of  the  year 
They  sometimes  weigh  thirty-seven  pounds.  They  pass  Oswe^o,  and  50  up  the 
O*wego  river  in  April,  are  then  in  fine  order,  and  spread  over  all  the  western 
waters  in  that  direction,  and  return  to  Lake  Ontario  in  September  and  October, 
much  reduced  in  size  and  fatness.  If  this  fish  has  the  same  habits  as  the  eurcpean 
salmon,  the  numerous  conical  collections  of  gravel  which  are  to  be  found  near  the 
margin  of  several  of  the  western  rivers,  must  have  been  erected  by  them.  In  Eng 
Jand  they  deposite  their  spawn  in  holes  made  purposely  iu  beds  of  gravel,  aad  co- 
vered with  successive  layers  of  the  same  materials,  and  as  it  becomes  animated 
each  individual  liberates  and  provides  for  itself.  Their  growth  is  singularly 
rapid,  arriving  at  six  or  eight  inches  in  length  early  iu  the  spring,  at  which  sea- 
son the  whole  becomes  immensely  numerous,  follow  the  old  fish  by  descending 
with  floods  to  the  sea. 

Although  there  is  no  animal,  if  we  except  roan  himself,  that  is  so  universally 
disseminated  over  every  climate  and  country  in  the  globe,  as  the  common  ec! : 
heins  an  inhabitant  in  atsoost  every  instance  where  fresh  water  flows  or  is  per- 


112  NOTES  AND 

maneritly  stationary,  yet,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  am  told  that  none  are  to 
be  seen  above  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  or  in  Lake  Erie.  The  eels  migrate  every 
autumn  to  the  sea,  for  the  purpose  of  propagation,  and  the  young  ones  return  up 
the  streams  in  spring  and  summer,  in  immense  numbers.  Some  stay  in  fresh  wa- 
ter all  the  year;  but  they  do  not  breed  ;  and  it  seems  to  be  a  fact  well  estab- 
lished, that  they  do  never  breed  in  fresh  water,  the  periodical  descent  of  the  old 
ones  to  the  ocean,  and  ascent  of  the  young  ones  from  thence,  prove  that  the 
scene  of  their  propagation  is  in  the  sea  itself.  The  route  by  the  Mississippi  is 
so  long  that  these  periodical  journeys  are  impracticable  ;  and  although  often 
seen  ascending  the  rocks  forty  or  6fty  feet  at  the  Niagara  falls,  yet  they  have 
been  invariably  driven  back,  and  have  not  been-  able  to  reach  Lake  Erie  in  that 
direction.  The  eel  is,  in  one  respect,  like  the  shad  j  the  latter  does  not  at- 
tempt to  ascend  the  Mississippi  j  now  and  then  a  meager  herring  is  caught  at 
Pittsburgh,  which  has  struggled  upwards  of  two  thousand  miles  against  a  strong 
current,  If  eels  were  left  in  Lake  Erie  after  the  deluge,  they  must  have  be- 
come extinct  in  process  of  time,  from  the  impracticability  of  access  to  the  oceai, 
where  alone  they  can  propagate.  A  remarkable  fact,  corroborating  this  opinion, 
occurred,  a  few  years  ago,  in  the  vicinity  of  this  city.  The  river  Passaic  is  form- 
ed by  the  union  of  three  considerable  streams,  called  Rockaway,  Long  Pond, 
-and  Ramapough  creeks.  Until  a  canal  was,  some  years  ago,  cut  round  the 
great  falls  at  Paterson,  no  eel  was  ever  seen  in  the  waters  above.  Since  that 
time  they  abound  in  those  streams,  and  are  among  the  best  in  this  country,  both 
for  size  and  quality.  The  elvers,  or.  small  eels,  are  seen  every  spring 
and  the  beginning  of  every  summer,  ascending  those  streams  in  immense 
numbers. 

The  natural  history  of  the  eel  has  always  been,  and  still  is,  involved  in  grear 
obscurity. 

Oppian  thus  describes  the  generation  of  the  eel  .- 

"Not  thus  couchs,  eels,  and  polypi  embrace, 
Nor  purple  lampreys  rear  their  embryo  race 
In  selfish  coils,  hermaphrodite  they  sit, 
And  their  own  power  the  vital  spume  emit. 
Which  gradual  dropp'd  on  sands  or  slimy  mud, 
A  silver  offering  render  to  the  flood." 

Translated  by  GOOD,  in  a  note  to  his  LUCRETIUS,  vol .  1 . 

It  is  not  certain  whether  eels  are  oviparous,  or  viviparous.  It  is  confidently 
asserted  that  many  persons  have  convinced  themselves  of  the  latter,  by  opening 
the  eel  and  taking  from  it  a  small,  soft,  whitish  substance,  knotted  curiously  to- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  113 

gether.  Upon  being  put  into  the  water  this  has  separated,  and  the  young  eelj 
were  perfect,  and,  although  not  bigger  than  a  gmall  thread,  have  swam  about ; 
this  discovery  always  took  place  the  end  of  summer,  or  beginning  of  autumn,  and 
has  been  adduced  as  evidence  of  their  going  down  to  the  salt  water  to  spawn. 
(Daniel's  Rural  Sports,  vol.  3.)  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  said,>  the  Philoso- 
phical Magazine,  (vol.  34.)  that  they  have  indeed  been  generally  supposed  vivi- 
parous; u  but  the  immense  abundance  of  the  young  certainly  bespeaks  an  ovi- 
parous progeny,  and  this  is  supported  by  analogy  in  the  lamprey  eel,  which 
breeds  commonly  enough  in  most  of  our  estuaries.'' 


NOTE  27 

Hudson,  the  day  on  which  he  arrived  at  Sandy  Hook,  (September  3d,  1609) 
saw,  as  he  denominates  them,  "  Many  salmons,  mulletts,  and  rays,  very  great :" 
and  when  he  passed  through  the  Highlands  on  the  14th,  he  says  there  were 
44  great  store  of  salmons  in  the  river." 

It  is  not  impossible  but  that  this  might  have  been  the  case.  The  Mohawk  riv- 
er formerly  contained  trout,  a  species  of  the  genus  salnao,  but  it  now  has  none. 
Fishes  sometimes  leave  their  former  haunts  and  repair  to  other  places  where  they 
can  find  food  more  agreeable  or  abundant,  and  where  they  deposite  their  spawn 
with  greater  safety.  It  is  now  well  known,  that  no  salmon  are  ever  seen  in  the 
Hudson,  except  a  few  eEtrays  who  have  missed  their  way  into  the  Connecticut 
river.  Salmon  delight  in  clear,  cool,  and  limpid  water,  and  the  Hudson  is,  par- 
ticularly at  the  period  of  their  vernal  migration,  discoloured  and  muddy.  Since 
the  wood  creek  which  falls  into  the  western  lakes  has  been  connected  with  the 
Mohawk  river,  by  a  canal,  the  latter  has  been  supplied  \vith  a  species  of  dace 
which  has  greatly  increased ;  and  black  basse  and  a  salmon  have  been  taken  who 
penetrated  through  the  canal  to  the  river:  it  would  be  a  curious  circumstance  if 
the  Hudson  should  receive  the  salmon  through  this  new  channel,  and  a  singular 
voyage  for  this  fish  to  enter,  from  the  ocean,  the  Gulf  of  St.Lawrence,  to  swim  up 
Ihe  river  of  that  name  to  Lake  Ontario,  pa?s  up  the  Onondaga  river  by  Oswego, 
totheOneida  lake,  ascend  Wood  Creek  to  the  waters  of  the  Mohawk"  river,  and 
.  oter  them  by  the  canal,  vault  down  the  grt-at  fails  of  the  Cohoes,  descend  tke 
Hudson,  and  return  at  the  next  vernal  migration  to  the  St  Lawrence.  Inde- 
pendently of  the  nature  cf  the  waters,  and  the  food  they  furnish,  there  must  be 
?ome  laleui  cause  for  the  preference  which  is  give:)  by  fishes  to  certain  rivers  ; 

av  IIP.  in  so:ne  measure,  ascribed  tn  tlvir  periodical  return  to  the 
P 


114  NOTES    AND 

place  of  their  origin.  How  shall  we  account  for  the  salmon  being  in  Connecti- 
cut river,  and  in  Merrimack  and  the  rivers  lying  between,  being  perfectly  desti- 
tute of  these  fish  ?  dr.  Franklin  told  Kalra,  that  in  that  part  of  New  England 
where  his  father  lived,  two  rivers  fell  into  the  sea,  in  one  of  which  they  caught 
great  numbers  of  herring?,  and  in  the  other,  not  one  j  yet  the  places  where  the 
rivers  discharged  themselves  into  the  sea,  were  not  far  asunder.  They  had  ob- 
served, that  when  the  herrings  came  in  spring  to  deposite  their  spawn,  they  al 
ways  swam  up  the  river,  where  they  used  to  catch  them,  but  never  came  into  the 
other.  The  doctor's  father,  who  was  settled  between  the  two  rivers,  took  some 
in  his  nets  as  they  were  coming  up  for  spawning,  took  out  the  spawn,  and  care- 
fully carried  it  across  the  land  into  the  other  river.  It  was  hatched,  and  tho 
consequence  was,  that  every  year  afterwards  they  caught  more  herrings  in  that 
river,  and  this  is  still  the  case.  This  leads  one  to  believe  that  the  fish  al 
ways  spawn  in  the  same  place  where  they  were  hatched,  and  from  whence  they 
first  put  out  to  sea. 

Fat  one  time  entertained  hopes  that  the  Journal  of  Hudson  would  have  fur 
nished  satisfactory  evidence  on  this  subject,  from  the  mode  of  fishing.  It  ap- 
pears, that  one  time  on  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  he  caught  twenty-seven  great 
cods  with  hook  and  line,  and  if  the  fish  he  procured  in  the  Hudson  were  obtained 
in  the  same  way,  it  would  prove  that  the  salmon  was  not  among  them,  as  this 
fish  is  rarely  got  in  any  other  way  than  by  the  spear  or  net.  But  it  appears 
that  he  also  used  a  net.  In  one  place  he  states,  that  the  men  went  in  his  boat 
on  shore  to  fish,  opposite  against  the  ship,  but  could  not  find  a  good  place ;  this 
shows  that  he  employed  the  net.  We  can,  therefore,  place  no  reliance  upon 
this  consideration.  The  migrations  of  salmon  with  us,  are  vernal,  and  after  de- 
positing their  spawn,  they  return  to  the  ocean.  It  is  presumed,  that  there  are 
no  salmon  in  our  eastern  rivers,  in  September  •  Hudson  must,  therefore,  have 
meant  some  other  fish.  Linnaeus  in  his  Systema  Naturae,  has  enumerated  fifty 
six  different  species  of  the  salmon  genus.  Hudson  certainly  did  not  intend  the 
common  salmon.  I  believe,  that  the  fish  he  meant,  is  our  rock  fish  or  streak- 
ed basse,  which  comes  into  the  river  about  that  time  in  great  numbers. 

Hudson  says,  "  The  river  is  full  of  fish;  "  "  our  boat  went  ashore  and  caught 
great  store  of  very  good  fish."  We  know  that  this  is  not  the  case,  except  when 
the  anadromous  fishes  ascend  the  river,  and  that  even  they  have  experienced  a 
great  diminution.  Adrian  Van  der  Donk,  M.  D.  who  had  resided  nine  years  in 
this  state,  when  called  New  Netherland,  and  who  published  in  the  dutch  lan- 
guage, in  1G55,  a  topographical  and  Natural  History  of  New  Netherland,  &c. 
says  that,  the  Hudson,  the  Mohawk,  and  all  the  waters  of  the  country,  abound 
with  every  kind  offish  in  their  respective  seasons,  and  that  in  March,  1647,  at 
the  time  of  a  great  freshet,  two  whales  of  considerable  bulk,  went  up  the  Hud 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  115 

son  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles ;  one  of  them,  however,  returned  and  grounded 
about  forty-eight  miles  from  the  sea  shore,  where  four  others,  that  same  year, 
had  also  stranded  and  perished  ;  the  other  grounded  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two  miles  np.  Notwithstanding  the  inhabitants  had  obtained  a  great 
quantity  of  train  oil  from  it,  yet  by  reason  of  the  swiftness  of  the  current  at  that 
lime,  the  whole  river  for  two  or  three  weeks  acquired  an  oily  taste,  and  exhib- 
ited an  unctuous  appearance,  aud  the  noxious  effluvia  were  offensive  eight  miles 
off.  Here  it  appeares  that  in  one  spring,  six  large  whales  had  ascended  the 
Hudson ;  and  they  were,  no  doubt,  allured  in  that  direction  by  the  multitude  of 
fish.  A  whale  has  recently  ascended  the  Delaware  as  far  as  the  falls  at  Trenton, 
The  Hudson  is  now  not  only  a  steril  river,  but  all  its  tributary  streams  partake  of 
the  same  defect.  Kalm  says,  that  several  gentlemen  and  merchants  of  New- 
York,  between  fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age,  told  him  in  June,  1749,  that  during 
their  lives  they  had  plainly  found  several  kinds  offish  decrease  in  number  eve 
ry  year,  and  that  they  could  not  get  near  so  many  fish  now  as  they  could  for- 
merly. Kalm  further  says,  "  At  the  first  -settlement,  the  bays,  rivers,  and 
brooks,  had  such  quantities  offish,  that  at  one  draught  in  the  morning,  they 
i-aught  as  many  as  a  horse  was  able  to  carry  home.  But  at  present  things  are 
greatly  altered,  and  they  often  work  in  vain  all  the  night  long,  with  all  their  fish- 
ing tackle.  The  causes  of  this  decrease  of  fish,  are  partly  the  same  with  those  of 
the  diminution  of  birds,  being  of  late  caught  by  a  greater  variety  of  contrivan- 
ces, and  in  different  manners  than  before.  The  numerous  mills  on  the  rivers, 
and  brooks,  likewise  contributed  to  it  in  part,  for  it  has  been  observed  here 
that  the  fish  go  up  the  river  in  order  to  spawn  in  shallow  water,  but  when  they 
laeet  with  works  that  prevent  their  proceeding,  they  turn  back,  and  never  come 
again."  Independently  of  these  causes,  we  know  that  fishes  change  their  places 
of  resort  in  the  ocean,  probably  being  frightened  away  by  fishes  of  prey.  "  It 
has  never  been  formerly  known,"  according  to  the  same  writer,  u  that  cod  fish 
were  to  be  caught  at  Cape  Henlopen ;  they  were  always  caught  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Delaware,  but  at  present  they  are  numerous  in  the  former  places. 

Dr.  Belknap  says,  that  the  basse  was  .formerly  taken  in  great  plenty  in  the 
river  Pascataqua,  but  that  by  the  injudicious  use  of  nets  in  the  winter,  this  fish- 
ery was  almost  destroyed  ;  that  the  salmon  formerly  frequented  the  same  river, 
but  that  the  numerous  dams  built  across  its  branches,  have  obstructed  the  course 
of  this  valuable  fish,  and  that  it  has  for  many  years  totally  forsaken  the  river. 

At  a  place  called  Columbia,  on  the  Seneca  river,  twelve  miles  from  Three 
River  Point,  a  rolling  dam  was  made  over  the  river,  and  a  canal  of  one  hundred 
rods  was  cut,  and  two  locks  made  in  order  to  facilitate  the  navigation,  which  wa« 
greatly  impeded,  and  at  sometimes  rendered  impracticable  by  two  shallow  rapid* 
called  M.  Harris  and  Jurist  Rift,  the  latter  of  which  extends  ten  miles  above 


110  NOTES  AND 

Columbia,  and  is  very  shallow  and  bad,  particularly  at  the  upper  end.  Since 
these  operations,  the  inhabitants  above  complain  most  grievously  about  the  di- 
minution of  salmon,  which  formerly  abounded  in  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  Lakes, 
and  their  tributary  streams,  and  they  attribute  it  to  the  dam.  Now  it  is  well 
known,  that  a  rolling  dam  particularly,  cannot  oppose  any  serious  impediment 
against  the  ascent  of  this  fish.  When  the  waters  are  high,  several  vessels  avoid 
the  canal  and  pass  over  the  dam.  It  is  indeed  now  understood,  that  the  salient 
powers  ascribed  to  the  salmon,  have  been  greatly  overrated ;  and  that  it  is  a  vul- 
gar error  to  suppose,  that  the  salmon  coils  himself  up  in  the  form  of  a  ring,  and 
seizing  his  tail  in  his  mouth,  by  the  strained  violence  of  an  elastic  spring  over- 
leaps the  highest  ascent  in  an  aerial  somerset.  On  the  contrary,  in  every  in- 
stance where  he  ascends  those  elevations  called  salmon  leaps,  he  does  it  by  swim- 
ming up  and  over  the  face  and  brow  of  the  water-fall,  penetrating  through  the 
interior  of  the  descending  body  of  water,  by  means  of  his  vast  muscular  power 
operating  on  the  action  of  his  tail ;  and  lie  affects  his  passage  when  the  stream 
is  very  much  flooded,  and  a  large  unbroken  mass  of  water  is  descending.  With- 
out such  a  solid  column  of  water,  his  ascent  would  be  physically  impossible ;  at 
these  times  the  water,  as  in  all  cases  of  flood,  is  highly  discoloured,  and  so 
dartingly  quick  is  the  ascent  of  the  fish,  as  rather  to  resemble  the  transient  gleam 
of  a  passing  shadow  over  the  water,  than  a  real  substance  penetrating  through  it . 
(Philosophical  Magazine,  vol.  34.)  It  is  nevertheless  obvious,  that  this  dam 
could  not  prevent  the  ascent  of  salmon  :  some  other  cause  must  be  found  out 
The  salmon  is  a  very  timid  fish.  In  April,  May,  and  June,  1810,  the  year  af- 
ter the  canal  was  used,  near  two  hundred  boats  had  passed  through  it.  The 
improved  navigation  had  greatly  increased  the  number  of  vessels  which  used  it. 
The  width  of  the  river  at  the  dam  is  about  twenty-three  rods.  In  salt  water 
creeks,  where  no  obstacles  exist,  the  same  complaint  is  made  of  the  scarcity  of 
fish.  Newtown  creek,  which  heads  about  four  miles  from  the  east  river,  by  an 
uninterrupted  navigation,  is,  when  compared  with  its  former  abundance,  now  al- 
most destitute  of  fish.  The  principal  cause  of  the  diminution  is,  in  the  augmenta- 
tion of  the  number  of  boats,  and  the  increase  of  the  navigation,  which  have  fright- 
ened the  fish  away. 

Other  reasons  may  be  assigned  of  great  weight.  The  cultivation  of  the  coun- 
try has  had  a  prodigious  effect  in  producing  this  diminution.  Some  species  of 
fish  subsist  on  the  larva  of  insects  and  worms.  The  cutting  down  of  trees,  the 
drying  up  of  swamps,  marshes,  the  ploughing  of  land,  and  the  exposure  of  the 
soil  to  the  influence  of  the  sun,  have  lessened  these  sources  of  subsistence.  The 
streams  and  rivers  have  also  been  diminished  in  size,  some  of  them  have  been 
entirely  dried  up.  The  fountains  and  springs  which  furnished  cool  retreats  for 
the  deposite  of  their  spawn,  are  destroyed  The  alluvial  deposites  have  r»Jpc> 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  117 

choked  up  their  ancient  places  of  resort,  have  discoloured  the  waters,  and  ren- 
dered them  disagreeable  and  unhealthy  ;  and  they  hare  thus'been  expelled  from 
their  former  domains,  and  have  been  obliged  to  look  out  for  other  haunts  in  wild 
and  uncultivated  countries. 

Having  so  often  referred  to  Hudson's  celebrated  voyage  up  the  North,  or  Hud 
son,  river,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  mention  the  several  animal,  vegetable, 
and  mineral  productions  which,  he  says,  that  he  saw  on  this  voyage. 

Salmon  ;  mulletts  ;  rays  ;  breams  ;  basses  ;  barbels  ;  indian  corn  ;  dried 
currants;  venison;  pompions;  beans;  hemp;  chesnuts;  grapes;  tobacco; 
yellow  copper  ;  beavers'  skins  ;  otters'  skins  ;  oak-trees ;  walnut-trees  ;  ewe- 
trees  ;  trees  of  sweet  wood  j  slate  for  building  ;  a  stone  like  emery  that  would 
cut  iron  or  steel. 

And  of  indian  manufactures,  he  saw, 

Deer  skins  well  dressed  ;  red  copper  tobacco  pipes  ;  pots  of  eartfa  to  dress 
meat?  ;  beads  ;  bows  and  arrows  ;  dresses  composed  of  mantles  of  feathers  ; 
dresses  of  skins  of  divers  sorts  of  good  furs ;  ornaments  of  copper  about  the  neck. 

Van  der  Donk,  before  quoted,  says,  that  the  indinns  plant  maize,  and  differ- 
ent kinds  of  b«ans,  (which,  they  state,  came  to  them  from  the  southern  indians) 
pompions,  and  squashes,  and  that  their  country  abounds  with  mulberries  of  a 
superior  quality,  a  great  variety  of  plums,  wild  cherries,  juniper  berries,  small 
apples  of  different  kinds,  hazle  nuts,  black  currants,  gooseberries,  blue  west- 
india  figs,  whortleberries,  different  kinds  of  blackberries,  and  one  kind  of  as  ex 
cellent  a  quality  as  in  Holland,  barberries,  cranberries,  artichokes,  which  grow 
under  ground,  aart-aacksrs,  or  espea  d'Etniffer,  (probably  truffles,)  caster  beans, 
wild  onions,  and  garlic.  That  in  spring  and  autumn  the  water  fowl  are  so  nu- 
merous, that  the  inhabitants  in  the  vicinity  of  the  waters  are  often  deprived  of 
-~!eep  by  their  noise  ;  that  the  swan  is  most  numerous ;"  that  there  are  tbrer 
kinds  of  geese ;  that  the  fishes  are  in  the  greatest  plenty:  streaked  basse. 
f- had,  sturgeon,  sea  ba?se,  black  fish,  herring,  &c.  and  shell-fish  of  all  kinds; 
that  the  best  oysters  are  sold  from  four  to  six  slivers  a  hundred  ;  that  the  num- 
ber of  deer  is  incredible  ;  and  that  eighty  thousand  beavers  are  annually  killed 
in  those  parts,  exclusive  of  elands,  (elks,)  bears,  otters,  and  deer,  and  yet  their 
-umbers  do  not  appear  to  be  diminished. 

He  further  says,  that  when  the  indians  are  disposed  to  treat  you  in  an  extra- 
ordinary manner,  they  serve  you  with  the  tail  of  a  beaver,  the  head  of  a  streak- 
ed hasse.  roa?tetf  ma  i?r>.  or  rh^nit"  bmten  into  flour,  boiled  with  the  fatten  * 


AMA> 


NOTE  23. 

The  appearance  of  iish  in  waters  which  have  no  communication  with  other 
waters  has  perplexed  naturalists.  It  is  extraordinary  that  perch  should  have 
appeared  in  all  the  lakes  of  Ireland,  and  in  the  Shannon,  at  the  same  time, 
about  forty  years  ago.  If  a  heron,  (says  Daniel's  Rural  Sports,  vol.  2.)  has 
devoured  the  ova  of  a  pike,  and  afterwards  ejected  them  while  feeding  in  a 
pond  where  there  were  none  before,  it  is  highly  probable  they  may  be  produced 
from  this  origin,  in  the  same  way  as  the  seeds  "of  plants  are  known  to  be  disse- 
minated. Gmelin  observes,  that  the  duck  kind  swallow  the  eggs  of  fishes,  that 
<;ome  of  these  eggs  go  down  and  come  out  of  their  bodies  unhurt,  and  so  are 
propagated.  Adamson  observed,  in  Africa,  several  small  fishes  in  morasses 
formed  by  rain  water,  which,  by  their  lively  red  colour,  appeared  to  be  roaches. 
The  water  drtfed  up  in  a  day  or  two  and  the  Iish  died.  The  next  year  new 
ones  appeared  entirely  like  the  preceding.  The  ponds  here  had  no  communica- 
tion with  the  Niger,  which  is  about  three  hundred  fathoms  off.  How  did  these 
fishes  get  there?  they  were  not  brought  by  aquatic  birds,  because  this  species 
of  fish  is  unknown  to  that  river.  Have  they  sprung  from  the  ova  of  the  pre- 
ceding year ;  but  how  .did  they  get  there  first  ?  are  they  drawn  from  distant 
waters  by  the  power  of  evaporation,  and  conveyed  to  those  ponds  ?  if  the 
facts  are  truly  stated,  this  is  an  unaccountable  phenomenon. 

An  occurrence  of  a  somewhat  similar  nature  took  place  on  this  island  some 
few  years  ago.  Shortly  after  the  first  establishment  of  the  Elgin  Botanic  Gar- 
den it  became  necessary  to  obtain  a  permanent  and  plentiful  supply  of  water, 
for  the  various  purposes  of  that  institution,  as  well  as  to  afford  a  place  of  growth 
for  aquatic  plants.  To  this  end  the  proprietor,  dr.  Hosack,  in.  a  season  of  un- 
common drought,  had  an  artificial  pond,  of  considerable  extent,  made  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  ground  that  had  hitherto^been  a  merefmorass.  Upon  excavating  this 
morass,  to  the  depth  of  from  six  to  ten  feet,  a  number  of  springs  were  opened, 
which  afforded  the  necessary  supply  of  soft  fresh  water.  To  the  astonishment 
of  all,  at  the  ensuing  summer,  a  considerable  number  of  small  fish  appeared  ; 
nnd  since  that  time  this  artificial  pond,  about  a  mileand  a  half  distant  from  any 
waters,  has  abounded  in  fish  of  considerable  size  :  some  of  them  being  five,  six, 
and  even  seven  inches  in  length. 

ID  Lothrop's  Philosophical  Transactions,  (zol.  2.)  it  is  stated,  that  a  pasture 
field  in  Kent,  containing  two  acres,  and  far  from  fishponds,  or  the  sea,  but  a 
scarcity  of  water,  was  all  overspread  with  little  fishes,  conceived  to  be  rained 
down,  there  having  been,  at  that  time,  a  great  tempest  of  thunder  and  rain 


.       ILLUSTRATIONS.  118 

ri'he' fishes  were  about  the  length  of  a  man's  little  finger ;  were  supposed  to  be 
young  whitings,  and  were  about  a  bushel  in  quantity. 

Fishes  may  be  propagated  and  brought  from  a  distance  in  different  ways.  The 
gold  fish  of  China  has  been  imported  alive  in  water  from  Europe  to  this  country. 
Tench  and  carp  have  been  introduced  into  England  in  a  similar  way.  Our 
lakes  and  rivers  may  be  stocked  with  proper  fish,  by  bringing  spawn  in  jars  ic 
imitation  of  the  Chinese,  who  often  fetch  the  spawn  of  particular  fishes  from  & 
great  distance.  Carps  weigh  from  twenty  to  forty  pounds,  and  live  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  years;  their  fecundity  is  amazing;  six  hun- 
dred thousand  eggs  have  been  found  in  one  carp.  They  may  be  carried  ninetv 
miles  alive,  packed  in  snow;  and  they  are  often  fattened  out  of  water,  by  being 
wrapped  up  in  wet  moss.  Such  a  fish  would  be  a  great  addition  to  our  lakes- 
Success  Pond,  in  the  town  of  North  Hempstead,  was  stocked,  by  dr.  Mitchili, 
with  perch,  which  he  conveyed  alive  from  a  pond  forty  miles  off. 

About  fifty  years  ago,  a  mr.  Jacobi  of  Hanover,  in  Germany,  after  preparing 
a  trough  with  gravel  at  the  bottom,  in  a  particular  way,  through  which  spring 
water  was  made  to  flow,  took  a  female  trout,  and  pressed  and  rubbed  its  belly 
gently,  by  which  means  it  parted  very  easily  with  its  spawn,  without  any  pre- 
judice to  the  fish,  in  a  basin  of  clear  water ;  he  then  took  a  male  fish,  and 
rubbed  and  pressed  its  belly  gently,  in  the  same  manner,  to  let  the  melt,  or 
soft  roe,  out,  in  the  same  basin  where  the  female  roe  was  in,  and  then  stirrr* 
ihem  together.  The  same  result  would  follow  if  the  roe  was  cut  out  of  dead 
fishes  and  mixed  together  in  the  same  way.  He  then  spread  the  mixed  span-a 
in  the  trough  before  the  water  was  let  in,  and  he  then  let  in  the  water.  A 
more  particular  account  of  this  process  is  inserted  in  the  34th  volume  of  the 
Philosophical  Magazine.  In  this  way  he  bred  annually  vast  quantities  of  sal- 
mon, trout,  and  other  fresh  river  fish. 

It  is  calculated  that  one  third  of  the  inhabitants  of  Switzerland  are  maintained 
by  fish  from  their  fresh  water  lakes.  When  we  consider  the  number  of  lakes, 
ponds,  and  fresh  water  streams,  in  our  country,  and  the  facility  with  which 
they  may  be  supplied  with  the  best  kinds  of  fish,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but 
that,  in  course  of  time,  this  salubrious  and  copious  source  of  subsistence  will  be 
Considered  an  object  worthy  of  attention 


120  NOTES   AND 


IVOTE  29. 

It  has  been  doubted  whether  red  foxes,  mice,  rats,  the  common  black  fly,  the 
hessian  fly,  the  honey  bee,  fleas,  moths,  bed  bugs,  and  cock  roaches,  are  indige- 
nous to  this  country. 

It  appears  that  the  unanimous  testimony  of  the  Indians  is,  that  the  red  fox 
did  not  make  its  appearance  until  after  the  europeans  had  settled  the  country, 
and  this  was  after  an  extraordinary  cold  winter,  when  all  the  sea  to  the  north- 
ward was  frozen.  Hence  it  has  been  inferred,  tliat  it  came  over  from  the  north 
of  Europe  or  Asia,  on  the  ice.  Another  account  is,  that  a  gentleman  of  fortune, 
in  New-England,  imported  a  number  for  the  sports  of  the  field,  at  the  first 
settlement  of  that  country,  and  that  from  this  stock,  was  propagated  the  race. 
It  is  well  understood,  that  our  red  fox  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  old  world. 
Kamsehatka  abou  nds  with  them  ;  and  when  commodore  Bering  landed  on  the 
western  coast  of  America,  he  saw  several ;  and  Lewis  and  Clarke  also  observed 
them  on  the  west  side  of  the  rocky  mountains.  A  very  severe  v/inter  may  have 
driven  vast  numbers  from  the  regions  of  the  north,  into  the  lower  country, 
about  the  time  mentioned  by  the  iudians,  as  it  frequently  has  other  animals, 
and  particularly  squirrels,  deer,  and  bears.  Severe  cold  produces  famine,  and 
famine  causes  the  migration  of  men,  as  well  as  of  other  animals.  Little  credit 
is  to  be  reposed  in  the  opinions  of  savages  on  such  subjects. 

Almost  all  the  other  animals  have  probably  been  imported,  but  this  does  not 
disprove  their  being  also  aborigines  of  America.  Fleas  have  been  found  on 
gray  squirrels  and  rabbits,  killed  in  desert  parts  of  the  country,  where  no  human 
creature  ever  lived  j  and  in  new  settlements  made  on  pine  lands  they  abound. 
The  cock  roach,  or  blatta  orientalis,  is  said  to  have  been  imported  from  the 
West-Indies ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  has  been  found  in  the  midst  of  woods 
and  deserts.  The  common  mouse  and  the  rat,  have  also  beep  seen,  at  an  early 
period,  in  the  crevices  of  stones  and  subterraneous  grottoes  in  remote  mountains, 
where  no  human  being  had  ever  been  before.  The  black  rat  is,  probably,  a 
native  of  America,  and  the  gray  rat  imported  from  Europe. 

It  is,  perhaps,  still  more  difficult  to  discriminate  between  native  and  natural- 
ized plants  in  many  instances.  In  some  cases,  there  is  no  dispute ;  but,  I  be- 
lieve, it  is  doubted,  whether  the  peach,  the  water  melon,  and  the  parsnip,  are 
indigenous. 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  121 

NOTE  30. 

This  deduction  is  not  a  legitimate  one.  Honey  might  have  been  made  by 
bees,  specifically  different  from  the  common  honey  bee,  and  this  appears  to  have 
been  the  case.  Clavigero  says,  (History  of  Mexico,  rol.  1.)  "  Thtre  are  at 
feast  six  different  kinds  of  bee?.  The  first  is  the  same  with  the  common  bee 
of  Europe,  with  which  it  agrees  not  only  in  size,  shape,  and  colour,  but  also  in 
its  disposition  and  manners,  and  in  the  qualities  of  its  honey  and  wax.  The 
second  species,  which  differs  from  the  first  only  in  having  no  sting,  is  the  bee 
of  Yucatan  and  Chiapa,  which  makes  the  fine  dear  honey  of  Estabentun,  of  an 
aromatic  flavour,  superior  to  that  of  all  the  other  kinds  of  honey  with  which 
we  are  acquainted.  The  honey  is  taken  from  them  six  times  a  year,  that  is, 
once  in  every  other  month ;  but  the  best  is  that  which  is  got  in  November, 
being  made  from  a  fragrant  white  flower,  like  jessamine,  which  blows  in  Sep- 
tember, called  in  that  country  estabentun,  from  which  the  honey  has  derived 
its  name.  The  third  species  resembles,  in  its  form,  the  winged  ants,  hut  is 
smaller  than  the  common  bee,  and  is  without  a  sting.  This  insect,  which  is 
peculiar  to  warm  and  temperate  climates,  forms  nests,  in  size  and  shape, 
resembling  sugar  loaves,  and  even  sometimes  greatly  exceeds  those  in  size, 
which  are  suspended  from  rocks,  or  from  trees,  and  particularly  from  the  oak. 
The  populousness  of  these  hives  are  much  greater  than  those  of  the  common 
hpe.  The^mphs  of  this  bee,  which  are  eatable,  are  white,  and  round  like  a 
pearl  j  the  honey  is  of  a  grayish  colour,  but  of  a  fine  flavour.  The  fourth  spe- 
cies is  a  yellow  b*e,  smaller  than  the  common  one,  but  like  it  furnished  with  a 
sting.  Its  honry  is  not  equal  to  those  already  mentioned.  The  fifth  is  a  small 
bee  without  a  s:ting.  which  construct*  uivrs  of  an  orbicular  form,  in  subterraneous 
cavities,  and  the  honey  is  sour  and  ^onirw  hat  bitter.  The  filalpipiolli,  which 
is  the  sixth  specie?,  is  black  and  yellow,  of  the  size  of  the  common  bee,  but  has 
no  sting'.1' 

Although  thi?  account  destroys  the  inference  from  Cortcz's  letter,  that  the 
common  honey  bee  of  Europe  existed  in  Mexico  at  the  time  he  wrote  it,  yet  it 
furm^iiPs  vi  strong  argument  in  another  n-spcct.  It  apj-i\\rs  that  it  is  now  in 
Mexico,  and  that  there  are  five  other  kinds  of  hpfs  \vliidi  produce  honey  ;  and 
some  of  them,  honey  superior  in  flavour,  and  greater  in  quantity.  Now,  i.'thi- 
be  the  case,  what  inducement  could  there  have  been  to  import  the  hoe  of  Eu-- 
rope  ? 

lu  Africa  and  in  Guiana,  a  bee  exists  which  i*,  per'.inps,  only  a  variety  of  our 
honey  bee  ;  the  difference  ia  the  honey,  and  the  size  of  tin-  bee,  may  be  owing  to 
the  difference  of  food  and  climate.  Adanson,  in  liis  voyage  ap  the  river  Aiger, 


was  extremely  incommoded  by  swarms  of  this  insect,  which  visited  the  cabin  of 
his  vessel  every  day.  u  These  bees,"  says  he,  u  differ  from  those  of  Europe  on- 
ly iu  size.  There  is  this  singularity  in  their  honey,  that  it  never  acquires  a  con- 
sistency like  ours,  but  is  always  liquid,  and  like  a  brown  syrup.  ^Ye  may  affirm 
it  is  infinitely  superior,  both  in  delicacy  and  taste,  to  the  best  honey  collected  in 
the  southern  parts  of  France."  Adansorfs  Voyage  to  Senegal. 

Bancroft  says,  "  the  bees  of  Guiana  are  but  little  larger  than  the  common 
house  fly  in  England  j  their  colour  is  black,  and  they  are  armed  with  stings ;  they 
deposite  their  honey  in  the  cavities  of  hollow  trees  in  the  woods.  This  honey 
has  a  dark  brown  colour,  a  sweet  but  less  agreeable  taste  than  the  european, 
and  leaves  a  small  bitter  behind.  It  is  found  in  large  quantities.,  and  is  almost 
us  fluid  as  olive  oil ;  the  colour  of  the  wax  is  a  dirty  brownish  black,  and  its  sub- 
stance somewhat  softer  than  the  yellow  wax  of  Europe,  having  a  sweet  fragrant 
smell."  Essay  on  the  Natural  History  of  Guiana,  SfC. 

If  the'  common  .bee  did  not  exist  in  this  country,  without  importation  from  Eu- 
rope, then  there  was  no  creature  in  North  America  which  produced  honey,  ex- 
cept in  Mexico.  It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose,  that  an  animal,  which  is,  in 
different  species  and  varieties,  so  widely  diffused  over  the  rest  of  the  world, 
should  be  denied  to  so  extensive  a  portion  of  the  globe,  so  well  calculated  for  its 
sustenance. 

It  appears,  that  the  opinion,  that  the  honey  bee  was  imported  into  this  part  of 
America  from  Europe,  originated  with  Josselyn,  who  resided  eight  years  in  the 
Province  of  Maine,  and  wrote  in  1072.  Dr.  Belknap  says,  that  he  i&s  the  only 
writer  who  mentions  them,  and  this  was  his  opinion,  with  which  tradition  con-, 
curs."  Kalm,  who  travelled  through  this  part  of  the  country  in  1748,  seems  to 
have  adopted  Josselyn's  idea.  *'  The  people  were  unanimous,"  says  he,  "  that 
the  common  bees  were  not  iu  North  America  before  the  arrival  of  the  europeans, 
but  that  they  were  first  brought  over  by  the  english  who  settled  here.  The  Indians 
likewise  generally  declare,  that  their  fathers  had  never  seen  any  bees  either  in 
the  woods,  or  anywhere  else,  before  the  europeans  had  been  several  years  set 
tied  here.  This  is  further  confirmed  by  the  name  which  the  Indians  give  them  • 
for  having  no  particular  name  for  them  in  their  language,  they  call  them  english 
flies,  because  the  english  first  •brought  them  over  ;  but  at  present  they  fly  plen- 
tifully about  the  woods  of  North  America.  However,  it  has  been  observed,  that 
the  bees  always,  when  they  swarm,  spread  to  the  southward,  and  never  to  the 
northward.  It  seems  as  if  they  do  not  find  the  latter  countries  so  good  for  their 
constitution  ;  therefore,  they  cannot  stay  in  Canada,  and  all  that  have  been  car- 
ried over  thither  died  in  winter.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  bees  in  America 
were  somewhat  smaller  thao  ours  in  Sweden.  They  have  not  yet  been  found  in 
the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  which  confirms  the  opinion 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  123 

of  their  being  brought  to  America  of  late."    Kalni's  Travels  in  Xorth  America, 
col.   1. 

Upon  this  it  may  be  remarked,  tint  the  country  beyond  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains was  but  very  little  known  at  that  period  ;  that  admitting  the  truth  of 
Kalm's  assertion,  that  bees  naturally  migrate  southward,  they  might  then  have 
t-xisted  in  tins  country,  without  having  extended  their  travels  to  the  cold  cli- 
mate where  Josselyn  wrote,  and,  consequently,  might  have  escaped  his  observa- 
tion ;  that  the  indians  might  have  been  deceived  by  seeing  bees  flock  to  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  white  settlements,  which  they  would  naturally  prefer  upon  account 
of  the  abundance  of  the  food,  and  that,  at  all  events,  the  opinions  of  the  indians 
on  subjects  of  this  nature  are  not  entitled  to  weight ;  and  that  when  Kalra  states 
that  the  bee  of  this  country  is  smaller  than  that  of  Sweden,  it  goes  to  prove  that 
it  is  a  variety,  and  probably  indigenous. 

Bartram  says,  "  In  the  course  of  conversation  with  dr.  Grant  of  Mobile,  I  re- 
marked that  during  my  travels  since  leaving  the  Creek  nation,  and  when  there, 
I  had  not  seen  any  honey  bees.  He  replied  that  there  were  few  or  none  west  oT 
the  I«thmus  of  Florida,  and  but  one  hive  in  Mobile,  which  was  lately  brought 
there  from  Europe,  the  english  supposing  that  there  were  none  in  the  country, 
not  finding  any  when  they  took  possession  of  it  after  the  Spanish  and  french.  I 
had  been  assured  by  the  traders  that  there  were  none  in  West  Florida,  which, 
to  me,  seemed  extraordinary,  and  almost  incredible,  since  they  are  so  numerous 
all  along  the  eastern  continent,  from  Nova  Scotia  to  East  Florida,  even  in  the 
wild  forests,  as  to  be  thought  by  the  generality  of  the  inhabitants,  aborigines  of 
this  continent."  William  Barlrani's  Travels  through  the  Carolines  and  Flari- 
das,  in  1773. 

In  Lewis  and  Clarke's  expedition  up  the  Missouri,  (wl  1.)  it  is  stated,  "  We 
observed  at  the  entrance  of  Maria's  river,  which  is  forty-sevtin  degrees,  twenty 
five  minutes,  and  seventeen  seconds  north,  that  the  bee  martin,  or  king  bird, 
is  common  to  this  country,  although  there  are  no  bees  here,  and,  in  fact,  we 
have  not  met  with  the  honey  bee  since  leaving  the  Osage  river."  The  junction 
of  the  Osage  and  Missouri  is  in  latitude  thirty-eight  degree?,  thirty-one  min- 
utes, sixteen  seconds  ;  and  it  is  not  likely  that  the  honey  bee  would,  contrary 
to  the  law  of  its  migration,  extend  itself  into  the  inhospitable  regions  of  the 
Horth,  unless  invited  by  the  cultivation  of  the  country.  This,  therefore,  proves 
nothing.  The  opinion  of  Bartramls  deserving  of  respect,  and  it  certainly  leans 
in  favour  of  what  he  considers  the  general  sentiment,  that  the  honey  bee  is  an 
Indigenous  animal,  and  [  can  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  his  remark,  that 
ihey  are  numerous  in  the  wild  forests.  In  the  most  distant  and  extensive  woods 
>f  the  west,  remote  from  all  habitation  and  cultivation,  this  useful  insect  is  to  be 
•<vmd .  In  a  new  settlement  on  the  Ridge  Road,  in  Genessee  county,  a  lonely 


1,24  .        NOTES  AND 

solitary  place,  I  saw  a  bee-hive,  composed  of  a  piece  of  button  wood,  which  was 
cut  out  of  the  woods  full  of  bees.  Dr.  Williams,  in  his  history  of  Vermont,  (a  work 
of  great  merit,)  says,  "  From  our  earliest  acquaintance  with  Lake  Champlain, 
the  honey  bee  was  to  be  found  in  the  open  lands  along  those  shores,  at  the  dis 
lance  of  one  hundred  miles  from  the  english  or  french  settlements,  and  long  be- 
fore those  settlements  had  begun  to  attend  to  the  cultivation  of  this  animal  j 
and  from  the  first  settlement  of  New-England  hunting  for  their  nests  has  been  a 
favourite  and  profitable  amusement."  Upon  the  whole,  although  the  balance 
of  authority  is  greatly  against  the  bee  as  an  indigenous  animal  of  North- Amer- 
ica, yet  I  am  by  no  means  satisfied  that  the  weight  of  reason  is  not  in  the 
other  scale. 

Qussre  ?  Would  it  not  be  well  to  import  the  stingless  bee  of  Mexico,  that 
makes  the  aromatic  honey  of  Estabentun,  and  also  the  bee  of  the  Niger,  whose 
produce  is  so  superior,  both  in  delicacy  and  tast«  to  the  best  honey  of  the  south 
of  France  ? 


NOTE  31. 

I  Jjave  made  the  number  of  serpents  much  too  great  I  do  uot  believe  there 
are  twenty  species  in  the  whole  United  States. 

Rattlesnakes  are  of  Mo  kinds  :  one  considerably  larger  than  the  other.  This 
serpent  is  never  seen  farther  north  than  the  mountains  which  surround  Crown 
Point,  in  that  direction.  Henry  saw  one,  two  degrees  farther  north,  to  the 
northwest  of  French  river,  which  discharges  itself  into  Lake  Huron.  This  cir- 
cumstance was  considered  a  very  extraordinary  one,  and  it  greatly  alarmed  the 
superstitions  fears  of  the  indiaus.  It  is  not  true  that  the  hog  is  invulnerable  to 
the  attacks  of  the  rattlesnake.  He  fights  it  as  he  would  any  other  animal,  and, 
If  wounded,  invariably  falls  a  victim.  In  Lowthorp's  Abridgment  of  the  Trans- 
actions of  the  Royal  Society,  (roZ.  3.)  a  story  is  told  of  a  rattlesnake,  in  Vir- 
ginia, which  had  got  into  a  place  where  there  were  pigs  ;  two  dogs  were  set  up- 
on the  snakej  and  were  mortally  wounded  ;  "  the  howling  of  the  dogs  gave  no- 
tice to  the  sow,  and  made  her  come  furiously  bristling,  and  she  run  immediate- 
ly into  her  den  ;  but  being  likewise  bit  by  the  snake,  she  setup  a  terrible 
^queak,  and  run  also  into  the  river,  and  there  died." 

Dr.  Barton  says,  (in  opposition  to  the  vulgar  opinion,)  that  the  crepitaculuni 
does  not  give  any  certain  indication  of  the  reptile's  age  ;  for  that,  in  general, 
-:cry  old  rattlesnakes  have  very  fe^r  bell?,  or  rattles ;  and  he  asks,  u  Do  the 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  125 

young  crotali,  when  alarmed  or  in  danger,  take  shelter  in  the  stomach  (or  oeso- 
phagus) of  both  their  parents,  or  the  mother  only  ?"  Carver  says,  "  I  once 
killed  a  female  that  had  seventy  young  ones  in  its  belly  ;  but  those  were  per- 
fectly formed,  and  I  saw  them  just  before  retire  to  the  mouth  of  their  mother,  as 
a  place  of  security  on  my  approach."  Several  intelligent  persons  say  the  same 
of  the  common  viper,  in  England,  and  yet  the  London  viper  catchers  assert  that 
it  never  happens.  In  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society, 
respectable  testimony  is  adduced  to  establish  similar  occurrences.  It  is  said  that 
wild  penny-royal,  or  dittany  of  Virginia,  is  fatal  to  this  serpent,  and  that  it 
never  comes  in  places  where  it  grows.  See  Lonthorp's  Philosophical  Transac- 
tions, wl  2. 

Van  der  Douk,  in  his  account  of  the  New  Netherland,  says,  that  there  grows 
in  New  Netherland  the  snakeroot,  which,  as  soon  as  the  rattlesnake  smells,  he 
dies  ;  that  a  large  rattlesnake  was  found  on  Long  Island,  and  some  present  took 
of  that  herb,  and,  after  chewing  it,  fixed  it  on  the  end  of  a  stick,  and  held  it  at 
some  distance  from  the'  snake's  -nose,  and  that  it  no  sooner  inhaled  the  soent 
than  it  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  trembling,  and  died  instantly ;  and  that  such  was 
the  rarity  of  the  snake  before  liis  time,  in  1655,  that  a  man  might  go  about  in- 
to the  fields  and  woods,  and  not  see  one  in  seven  years  ;  and  that  the  indiani 
extracted  its  four  sharp  teeth,  and  used  them  as  a  substitute  for  lancets.  Both 
these  accounts  of  the  deleterious  effects  of  pennyroyal  and  snakeroot  upon  the 
rattlesnake,  are  fabulous. 

Some  of  the  most  respectable  ancient  writers  believed  in  the  existence  of  a 
small  kind  of  serpent,  which  moved  forward  and  backward,  and  had  two  heads, 
one  at  each  extremity.  Galen  and  .Slian  represented  it  as  an  undeniable  fact ; 
and  Pliny  says,  "  Geminum  habet  caput,  tanquam  parum  esset  uno  ore  effundi 
venenum."  Linnaeus  has  described  this  species  of  serpents  as  having  rings  on 
the  body  and  tail,  no  scales,  and  a  smooth,  equal  cylindrical  body  ;  the  tail 
hardly  to  be  distinguished  from  the  head,  and  very  obtuse.  Dr.  Bancroft,  in 
his  Essay  on  the  Natural  History  of  Guiana,  observes,  that  it  is  said  there  are 
three  kinds  of  double-headed  snakes  in  Guiana.  He  saw  but  one  species  ;  it  was 
twelve  inches  long  ;  had  very  fine  teeth,  almost  obscured  by  the  gums  ;  its  eyes 
were  hardly  discoverable  ;  and  both  ends  have  the  same  external  appearance, 
from  whence  it  has  been  thought  to  have  two  heads,  although  only  one  mouth  it, 
discoverable,  which  is  small.  From  this  it  appears  that  those  who  believe  in  the 
reality  of  two  heads,  one  at  each  extremity,  lalwur  under  a  mistake ;  and  that 
their  error  has  originated  from  the  similarity  of  the  head  and  tail,  and  the 
small  ness  of  the  animal.  Herrera,  in  his  History  of  America  says,  that  inChiapa 
he  found  a  two  headed  serpent,  eighteen  inches  long,  in  the  form  of  a  roman  T, 
and  very  venomous  it  not  only. kills,  snys  ho,  by  its  bite,  but  if  any  tread  upon 


12t>  NOTES  AMD 

that  part  of  the  ground  over  which  it  has  just  gone,  it  proves  fatal.  Bancroft 
states,  in  a  note  to  his  work  before  referred  to,  that  a  similar  kind  of  amphisbaena 
was  found  near  a  bay  in  Lake  Champlaia,  in  this  state  ;^bnt  I  shall  give  the  account 
in  his  own  words.  "  Since  these  sheets  were  sent  to  the  press  I  have  received  a 
particular  description  of  a  monstrous  amphisbaena,  found  near  Lake  Champlain, 
in  North  America,  by  an  officer  in  the  american  service,  who,  with  one  of  his 
majesty's  draughts  men,  was,  during  the  late  war,  sent  to  make  a  survey  of 
that  lake.  They  were  previously  informed  by  the  indians  of  the  existence  of 
these  serpents,  one  of  which  they  killed  near  a  bay  in  Lake  Champlain,  which, 
'ift  the  maps  of  that  country,  has  been  since  called  Double-Headed  Snake  Bay. 
This  cerpent  was  a  small  one  of  the  kind,  it  being  about  fifteen  inches  in 
length,  and  largest  near  the  middle,  terminating  in  a  slender  tail.  The  body 
at  the 'ether  end,  divided  into  two  necks  of  equal  size,  to  each  of  which  was 
joined  a  perfect  head,  with  two  eyes,  a  large  mouth  and  throat,  a  forked  tongue, 
with  teeth  of  the  same  species  with  those  of  the  rattlesnake.  The  colour  of  the 
heads  was  a  dark  brown,  and  the  scales  on  the  back  and  side  were  variegated 
with  alternate  spots  of  dark  and  reddish  brown  colours,  in  magnitude  and  dispo- 
sition resembling  those  of  the  rattlesnake.  This  serpent  was  a  perfect  monster,  of 
whose  existence  I  should  strongly  doubt,  did  I  not  think  the  veracity  of  the  gen- 
tleman from  whom  I  have  this  information,  and  by  whom  it  was  actually  killed, 
unquestionable.'* 

The  frontispiece  of  Bancroft's  book  contains  a  print  of  this  serpent,  and  under 
it  is  inscribed, 

44  This  snake  was  found  near  Lake  Champlain,  in  the  year  1761,  by  lieutenant 
Moses  Park." 

This  account  is  thus  confirmed  by  the  concurrent  testimony  of  Carver  : 

44  The  two-headed  snake.  *£lie  only  snake  of  this  kind  that  was  ever  seen  in 
America  was  found  about  the  year  1762,  near  Lake  Champlain,  by  mr.  Park,  a 
gentleman  of  New-England,  and  made  a  present  to  lord  Amherst.  It  was  about 
A  foot  long,  and  in  shape  like  the  common  snake,  but  it  was  furnished  with  two 
heads  exactly  similar,  which  united  at  the  neck." 

As  this  account  relates  to  the  Natural  History  of  this  state,  ami  the  author  is 
Te?pectable,  I  have  thought  it  sufficiently  interesting  to  insert  it  with  this  inter- 
rogatory:  Is  there  a  bay  on  Lake  Champlain  which  bears  the  name  of  Double- 
Headed  Snake  Bay  ? 

Since  writing  the  above  I  have  seen  a  specimen  of  the  false  amphisbsena  in 
Seudder's  museum.  It  was  presented  to  the  proprietor  of  that  establishment  by 
dr.  Mitchill,  to  whom  it  was  given  by  dr.  Ross,  who  procured  it  in  Jamai- 
ca. It  is  about  eight  inches  lens;,  and  each  extremity  has  the  appearance  of  '* 
bead, 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  \2J 

I  have  also  seen  in  dr.  Mitcalll's  possession  a  real  aranhisb-je.na,  or  coluber 
biceps,  having  two  beads  at  one  end  of  the  body,  diverging  from  the  same  verte- 
bral column.  It  is  between  four  and  five  inches  long,  and  the  colour  is  a  light 
brown.  It  was  presented  to  the  doctor  by  John  G.  Bogert,  esq.  of  this  city,  who 
procured  it  from  captain  Henry  G.  Hose,  w ho  brought  this  and  two  others  of  a 
similar  kind  from  Toconroba,  one  of  the  Fejee  islands,  to  this  city. 

Dr.  Mitch il!  informs  me  that  he  has  seen  a  coluber  biceps  in  the  possession  of 
professor  Walker,  at  Edinburgh  ;  a  second  in  Quebec,  in  the  collection  of  general 
Davies  ;  and  a  third  was  shown  to  him  at  Washington  by  president  Jeffersou  ; 
and  from  the  frequency  of  their  occurrence,  the  doctor  is  inclined  to  believe 
that  this  animal  is  not  a  lusus  naturae,  but  a  regular  production.  If  so,  and  his 
opinion  is  almost  conclusive  on  such  subjects,  n-e  must  consider  the  real  amplus- 
,  or  coluber  biceps,  as  a  new  and  distinct  genus  of  serpents. 


NOTE  32. 

fhis  5s  probably  the  glycine  apios,  or  wild  potato,  which  is  nearly  a?  good  as 
the  common,  and  which  was,  when  boiled,  a  favorite  food  of  the  indiaus. 

The  Jerusalem  artichoke,  or  heliantbus  tuberosus,  grows  spontaneously 
xhe  country,  is  sometimes  brought  to  our  markets  for  sale,  and  is  a  wholesome, 
Agreeable  vegetable.   This  plant  ought  to  be  cultivated.    It  produces  about  foot 
hundred  and  eighty  bushels  an  acre.     It  flourishes  in  almost  any  soil,  bri 
almost  invariably,  a  certain  ciop,  and  it  is  also  proof  agrunst  the  severest  frost? 
The  bulb  of  arrowhead,  or  sagittaria  sagittifolia,  boiled,  or  roasted  in  hot  ashe=^ 
was  eat  by  our  Indiana.     It  tasted  nearly  like  potatoes.     It  is  commo'jly  an  iaci* 
and   a  half  long,  and  one  inch  and  a  half  broad  in  the  middle,  i>  toinetimes  a* 
large  as  a  man's  fist,  and  grows  in  low,  muddy,  and  very  wet  ground.     I . 
poses  a  considerable  part  of  the  food  of  the  Chinese,  and  5?  cultivated  by  tliest. 
It   ought  to  be  carefully  guarded  against  swine,  who  eagerly  devour  it.     I:-1 
valley  to  the  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  extends  seventy  miV 
found  in  great  abundance,  and  is  a  principal  article  of  trad*:  between  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  valley  and  those  of  the  sea  coast 

Our  Indians  also  made  use  of  the  root  of  a  vegetable  which  they  called  tawbo- 
tawkin,  or  tuckah,  and  which,  Kalm  says,  is  the  arum  virgjojcuni,  or  wake  robifi. 
When  fn-sh  it  ha?  a  pungent  taste,  but  when  roasted  it  is  like  potatoes.     It  flour- 
ishes in  moist  grounds  and  swdmps,  and  often  cr 
.  but  is  nearly  cxt'.rpatert  bv  iS<»  !io;r- 


128  .NOTES    AND 

They  also  eat  the  dried  seeds  of  the  orontium  aquatieum,  called  by  them  taw- 
kee  ;  they  were  boiled  in  water,  and  eat  like  peas,  or  made  into  bread.  This 
plant  was  plentiful  in  moist  and  low  grounds.  Whortleberries,  or  huckleberries, 
were  dried  by  them  and  made  into  a  dainty  dish,  by  being  mixed  with  fresh 
«aize  flour,  and  baked.  They  also  gathered  and  dried  hickory  and  black  wal- 
nuts ;  took  out  the  kernels  and  pounded  them  as  fine  as  flour  :  mixed  this  sub- 
stance with  water,  which  took  a  milky  colour,  and  was  as  sweet  as  milk. 

The  tuckahoe  (or  tawkee,  as  Kalm  supposes)  was  probably  a  native  of  this 
state.  The  lycoperdon  tuber  of  Linnaeus,  called  truffles,  grows  here  and  in  New- 
Jersey,  and  we  have  a  place  called  Tuckahoe.  These  tuberous  productions  arc 
not  the  same.  The  Indians  made  delicious  bread  from  their  farinaceous  matter. 

According  to  Lewis  and  Clarke,  the  Indians  of  Columbia  river  eat  the  roots 
of  a  species  of  thistle,  fern,  rush,  liquorice,  and  a  small  cylindric  root,  resem- 
bling in  flavour  and  consistency  the  sweet  potato. 


NOTE  33, 

This  production  has  been  used  by  the  Indians  from  time  immemorial.  In  ti 
curious  book,  entitled  A  Description  of  the  English  Province  of  Carolana,  by  the 
Spaniards  called  Florida,  and  by  the  French  La  Louisiane,  etc.  by  Daniel  Coxe, 
esq.  printed,  London,  1741,  it  is  thus  described  :  "  beside?,  this  country  natur 
ally  affords  another  sort  of  excellent  corn,  which  is  the  most  like  oats  of  any 
european  grain,  but  longer  and  larger  ;  and  I  have  been  assured  by  many  very 
credible  persons,  who,  out  of  curiosity,  had  divers  ways  prepared  if.,  that  it 
far  exceeds  our  best  oatmeal.  ThiB  is  not  sown  and  cultivated  by  the  indians, 
but  grows  spontaneously  in  marshy  places,  in  and  by  the  sides  of  river?,  like 
reeds  oY  ru^he?.  The  Indians,  when  it  is  ripe,  take  handfuils,  shake 
tliern  into  their  canofs  ;  what  escapes  them  falling  into  the"  water,  without  any 
further  trouble  produce?  the  next  year's  crop."  Hcarne  saw  it  as  far  north  ag 
Churchill  river,  ne^r  the  00th  degree  of  north  latitude.  Ellis,  in  his  account  of 
A  Voyage  to  Discover  a  North  We?t  passage,  mentions,  that  there  are  great 
quantities  of  wild  rice  by  the  sHes  of  the  lakes  and  rivers  which  run  into  Hud 
son's  Bay,  between  the  50th  and  55th  degrees  of  north  latitude.  On  the  2f.«; 
September,  Pike  stopped  at  a  Sioux  village,  between  Pepin  and  the  falls  of  st. 
Anthony,  and  in  about  44  degrees  30  minutes  north  latitude,  and  found  it  evacu- 
ated, all  the  Indians  having  gone  out  to  gather  fols  avoin  ;  and  he  says,  that 
trader0,  rhiefly  der^nd  for  their  support  ujx>n  wild  ont?,  of  which 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  129> 

taoy  purchase  great  quantities  from  the  savages ;  and  that  at  an  establishment  on 
Red  Cedar  Lake,  near  the  Mississippi  in  the  47th  degree  of  latitude,  they  give 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  bushel  for  it.  The  Menoraeni,  a  nation  of  indians 
inhabiting  ou  the  northwest  of  Lake  Michigan,  are  called,  by  the  french, 
Fols  Avoins,  from  this  plant,  which  grows  in  great  plenty  among  them.  Henry, 
in  his  Travels  in  Canada  and  the  Indian  Territories,  bought  wild  rice  at  Lake 
Sajunai  in  great  abundance  ;  he  says  it  grows  in  shoal  water,  and  the  indians 
gather  it  by  shaking  the  ears  Into  canoes.  Hennepin  say?,  that  among  the  fols 
avoins  it  appears  above  the  water  in  June,  and  is  gathered  in  September,  and 
iii at  it  produces  more  meal  than  european  oats.  Mackenzie  asserts,  that  the 
indians,  on  Lake  Sngenuja,  depend  principally  for  food  upon  fish,  and  wild  rice 
which  gro'rvs  spontaneously  in  these  parts ;  that  there  is  abundance  of  it  on  the 
banks  of  a  small  river  which  runs  into  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  about  the  lati- 
tude of  49  degrees  ;  tha*  from  Lake  Superior  to  Lake  Winnipic,  in  latitude  50 
degree?  37  minutes,  "  are  vast  quantities  of  rice,  which  the  natives  collect  in 
August  for  their  winter  stores.  To  the  north  of  50  degrees  it  is  hardly  known, 
or  at  least  does  not  come  to  maturity  j"  that  the  country  between  Lake  Supe- 
rior and  the  Mississippi  was  formerly  very  populous,  and  produced  wild  rice  in 
great  plenty.  Machtn^ie^s  f~oyag?s,  Prffaa. 

Carver,  in  his  travels  through  North  America,  states  tint  the  fox  river  is  ren- 
dered remarkable  by  the  abundance  of  wild  rice  that  grows  on  its  shores,  and 
that  this  grain,  which  grows  in  the  greatest  plenty  throughout,  the  interior  parts 
of  North  America,  is  the  most  valuable  of  all  the  spontaneous  productions  of 
that  country.  Exclusive  of  its  utility,  as  a  sopp^y  of  food,  for  those  of  tue  human 
^pecies  who  inhabit  this  part  of  the  continent,  and  obtained  without  any  other 
trouble  than  that  of  gathering  it  in,  the  sweetness  and  nutritious  quality  of  it  at- 
tract an  infinite  number  of  wild  fowls  of  every  kind,  which  Cock  fcom  distant  climes 
to  enjoy  this  rare  repast,  and  by  it  become  inexpressibly  fat  and  delicious.  In  fu- 
ture periods  it  will  be  of  great  service  to  ihe  infr.nt  colonies, as  it  will  afford  them 
a  present  support,  until,  in  the  course  of  cultivation,  other  supplies  may  be  pro- 
duced ;  whereas,  in  those  realms  which  are  not  furnished  with  this  bounteous  gift 
of  nature,  even  if  the  climate  is  temperate  and  the  soil  goad,  the  first  settlers  are 
•.,-iten  exposed  to  great  hardships  from  the  want  of  an  immediate  resource  for  ne- 
cessary food.  This  useful  grain  grows  in  the  water,  where  it  is  about  two  feet 
deep,  and  where  it  finds  a  rich  muddy  -oil.  The  stalks  of  it,  and  the  branches 
or  ears,  tiiatbear  the  seed,  resemble  oats,  both  in  the  appearance  and  manner  of 
growing.  The  stalks  are  full  of  joint?,  and  ri=e  more  than  eight  feet  above  the 
water.  The  natives  gather  the  grain  in  the  following  manner  :  neariy  about  the 
time  that  it  begins  to  turn  from  its  milky  state,  and  to  ripen,  they  run  their  ca- 
noe; into  the  midst  of  it.  nnd  tying  branches  of  it  together  just  below  the  ear«, 

R 


130  NOTKS  AM> 

with  bark,  leave  it  in  this  situation  three  or  four  weeks  longer,  until  it  is  per- 
fectly ripe.  About  the  latter  end  of  September  they  return  to  the  river,  when 
each  family,  having  its  separate  allotment,  and  being  able  to  distinguish  their 
own  property  by  the  manner  of  fastening  the  sheaves,  gather  in  the  portion  that 
belongs  to  them.  This  they  do  by  placing  their  canoes  close  to  the  branches 
of  rice  in  such  position  as  to  receive  the  grain  when  it  falls,  and  then  beat  it 
out  with  pieces  of  wood  formed  for  that  purpose.  Having  done  this,  they  dry 
it  with  smoke,  and  afterwards  tread,  or  rub  off  the  outside  husk  ;  when  it  is  fit 
for  use  they  put  it  into  the  skins  of  fawns,  or  young  buffaloes,  taken  off  nearly 
whole  for  this  purpose,  and  sewed  into  a  sort  of  sack,  wherein  they  preserve  it 
till  the  return  of  their  harvest.  It  has  been  the  subject  of  much  speculation,  why 
this  spontaneous  grain  is  not  found  in  any  other  regions  of  America,  or  in  those 
countries  situated  in  the  same  parallels  of  latitude,  where  the  waters  are  as 
apparently  adapted  for  its  growth,  as  in  the  climate  I  treat  of.  As'for  instance, 
none  of  the  countries  that  lie  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  Great  Lakes,  even 
from  the  provinces  north  of  the  Carolinas,  to  the  extremities  of  Labrador,  pro- 
duce any  of  this  grain.  It  is  true,  I  found  great  quantities  of  it  in  the  watered 
lands  near  Detroit,  between  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Erie,  but,  on  inquiry,  I 
learned  that  it  never  arrived  nearer  to  maturity  than  just  to  blossom,  after 
which  it  appeared  blighted  and  died  away.  This  convinces  me,  that  the  north 
west  wind,  as  1  have  before  hinted,  is  much  more  powerful  in  these  than  in  th( 
interior  parts,  and  that  it  is  more  inimical  to  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  after  it  has 
passed  over  the  lakes  and  become  united  with  the  wind  which  joins  it  from  the 
frozen  regions  of  the  north,  than  it  is  further  to  the  westward." 

The  reasons  assigned  by  Carver,  wiiy  this  grain  is  not  seen  in  a  state  of  ma 
lurity,  to  the  east  nor  to  the  south  of  the  Great  Lakes,  are  unsatisfactory.  The 
northwest  winds  are  mitigated  in  passing  over  those  immense  bodies  of  water, 
nor  is  his  assertion  warranted  by  the  fact.  This  rice  certainly  flourishes  to  the 
south  of  the  lakes,  and  we  have  the  authority  of  Kalm  to  support  us  in  stating, 
that  it  grows  to  the  east.  The  only  difficulty  exists  as  to  the  degree  of  latitude 
by  which  its  growth  is  bounded ;  and  it  is  believed,  that  Mackenzie  limits  its 
northern  extension  too  much.  Kalm  eays,  that  on  the  16th  of  July  he  saw  it 
growing  on  the  western  side  of  Lake  Champlain,  near  Crown  Point,  in  this 
s-tate,  and  in  the  44th  degree  of  north  latitude  j  and  again  he  mentions,  thai: 
the  zizania  aquatica,  or  folle  avoine,  grows  plentifully  in  the  rivulet,  or  brook, 
which  flows  somewhat  below  Prairie  de  la  Magdalene,  a  small  village  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  about  eight  miles  from  Montreal ;  and 
that  its  seed  are  gathered  in  October,  and  taste  almost  as  well  as  rice.  Dr. 
Williams  says,  that  it  is  a  native  of  Vermont.  A  considerable  difficulty  exist? 
urith  respect  to  the  botanical  arrangement  and  denomination  of  this  plant.  Lin 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  131 

OJEU3,  and  after  him  Kalm,  calls  it  zizauia  aquatica.  M.  Desibntaiues,  in  his 
Tableau  de  L'  Ecole  de  Botanique  du  Museum  D'Histoire  Naturalle,  thus 
mentions  it,  quoting  Linnaeus  for  his  authority,  zizania  aquatica  grows  in  the 
northern  parts  of  America,  is  an  annual  plant,  and  is  alimentary.  Michau  x,  in 
his  Flora  Boreali  Americana,  makes  three  species. 

>     growing  in  the  watery  parts  of  North  America. 

2.  Clavulosa,    ) 

3.  Fluitans — at  Lake  Champlain. 

Of  the  second  he  says,  this  is  the  zizania  of  Gronovius,  which  Linnaeus  has 
improperly  arranged  with  the  Sloanina. 

Persoon,  in  his  Synopsis  Plantarum,  designates,  besides  those  enumerated  by 
Michaux, 

Aquatica,     }    varieties,  the  first  growing  in  Jamaica,  under  water,  and  the 

Palustris,      J          latter  in  the  waters  of  North  America. 

And  Terrestris — on  dry  land. 

Muhlenberg,  in  his  Catalogue  of  the  Native  and  Naturalized  Plants  of  North 
America,  enumerates  four  species  of  zizania,  or  american  rice. 

1.  Miliacea — millet. 

2.  Clavulosa— an  annual  plant,  vulgarly  called  wild  rice,  or  oats,  grows  in 
Pennsylvania,  flowers  in  September. 

3.  Palustris1— marsh ;  risave— Canada. 

4.  Fluitans— floating. 

Dr.  Barton  considers  the  zizania  clavulosa  of  Michaux,  as  the  zizania  aqua 
tica  of  Liumt'us,  and  says,  that  it  grows  and  ripens  its  seed  as  far  north  in 
America,  as  the  latitude  of  50  degrees ;  and  that  the  zizania  milacea  of  Mi- 
chaux, is  a  very  distinct  species,  and  that  both  of  the  species  are  eaten  by  the 
inuiau-j  of  the  countries  adjacent  to  the  lakes.  Amidst  such  a  number  of  clash- 
ing authorities,  it  would  not  become  me  to  offer  an  opinion.  It  is  possible, 
however,  that  the  *izania  of  Lake  Charaplain,  is  only  a  variety  of  the  folle 
avoine;  and  it  is,  probably,  a  distinct  species  from  the  zizania  of  Pennsylvania 
Providence  appears  to  have  intended  this  northern  rice  as  a  substitute  for  the 
rice  of  southern  climates.  Its  produce  is  abundant ;  its  alimentary  qualities  are 
undoubted  j  and  the  time  may  arrive,  when  the  zizaoia  aquatica  of  the  north 
shall,  under  the  hand  of  cultivation,  attain  to  as  high  perfection,  and  contribute 
as  much  to  tho  subsistence  of  the  human  race;  as  the  oryza  saliva  of  the  south. 


132  .NOTES    AND 

\ 

NOTE  34. 

In  strictnc53  there  are  but  two  species  of.wlieat;  with  beards,  and  without 
beards.  Winter,  summer,  gray,  duckbill,  gray  pollard  or  fuller  wheat,  cone 
wheat,  polonian  whoat,  sibf-ian  spring  wheat,  Switzerland  spring  wheat,  aegyp 
tian  bearded  wheat,  murwaary  wheat,  brought  from  Barbary,  gernian  spelter, 
zecland  wheat,  and  froment  tremais,  so  called  because  it  is  only  three  months 
in  the  earth,  all  varieties  of  one  or  the  other  of  these  species,  have  been  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree  cultivated  in  England,  and  each  has  some  peculiar  recom- 
mendation. I  have  seen  lands  in  this  state  which  have  produced  fifty  bushels  an 
acre  of  this  most  excellent  of  the  cerealia. 

In  the  Transactions  of  the  Linnaean  Society,  it  is  stated,  that  the  blight  of 
wheat,  (uredo  fnunenti,)  in  the  west  of  England,  which  was  attributed  to  an 
insect,  was  owing  to  a  fungus  which  had  been  long  sown  in  the  stem  of  the 
vrheat.  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  in  an  excellent  essay  on  the  blight  in  corn,  annexed 
to  Curtis'  Practical  Observations  on  the  British  Grasses,  has  embraced  the  same 
opinion,  and  says,  that  the  blight  is  occasioned  by  the  growth  of  a  minute  para- 
sitic fungus,  or  mushroom,  on  the  leaves,  stems,  and  glumes  of  the  living  plant ; 
and  he  further  states,  .that  it  has  long  been  admitted  by  farmers,  though  scarcely 
credited  by  botanists,  that  wheat,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  barberry  bush, 
seldom  escapes  the  blight;  that  tue  village 'of  Rollesby,  in  Norfolk,  where 
barberries  abound,  and  wheat  seldom  succeeds,  is  called  by  the  opprobrious 
appellation  of  mildew  Rollesby  ;  that  some  observing  men  have,  of  late,  attri- 
buted this  very  perplexing  effect  to  the  farina  of  the  flowers  of  the  barberry, 
which  is,  in  truth,  yellow,  and  resembles,  in  some  degree,  the  appearance  of 
the  rust,  or  what  is  presumed  to  be  the  blight,  in  its  early  state,  and  that  it  is 
notorious  to  all  botanical  observers,  that  the  leaves  of  the  barberry  are  very  • 
subject  to  the  attack  of  a  yellow  parasitic  fungus,'  larger,  but  otherwise  much  re- 
sembling, the  rust  in  corn.  In  opposition  to  the  idea,  that  it  is  improbable  that 
these  fungi  are  the  same,  it  is  remarked  that  the  misletoe,  the  best  known  pa- 
rasitic plant,  delights  most  to  grow  on  the  apple  and  hawthorn,  in  England, 
but  that  it  flourishes  occasionally  on  trees  widely  differing  in  their  nature  from 
both  of  these ;  and  in  the  middle  states  of  America  it  is  most  frequently  found 
on  the  nyssa  sylvatica,  or  sour  gum,  but  to  the  southward  upon  oaks.  " 

An  insect,  called  the  tipula  tritici,  or  wheat  insect,  has  destroyed,  in  some 
places  in  England,  about  one  twentieth  part  of  the  produce.  An  insect,  called 
the  ichneumon  tipulie,  deposites  its  egg  in  the  larva,  or  caterpillar,  of  the  wheat 
fly,  and  this  destroys  it.  Dr;  Darwin  gravely  proposes,  in  his  Phytologia,  to 
counteract  the  pernicious  effects  of  insects  which  produce  blight,  by  propagation 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  133 

the  larva  of  the  aphidivoroos  fly.  It  is  not  yet  settled  whether  the  hessian  fly 
is  of  foreign  ot  domestic  origin  :  although-a  species  of  tipula,  yet  it  is  not  the 
one  just  mentioned,  as  1  am  informed.  The  farmers  on  Lonj  Island  complain 
of  the  septennial  ravages  of  an  insect  which  destroys  their  barley,  and  which 
they  denominate  the  army  worm,  from  its  numbers. 

Dr.  Barton  has  very  justly  remarked,  that  it  is  an  object  of  the  first  import- 
ance to  investigate  the  natural  history  of  those  insects,  which  are  peculiarly 
injurious  to  us  in  any  way,  and  that  unfortunately  our  country,  as  milch  perhaps 
as  any  on  this  globe,  abounds  with  such  insects. 

Dr.  Smith,  the  celebrated  president  of  the  Lannaean  Society,  observes,  that 
botany  necessarily  leads- to  the  study  of  insects  ;  for  it  is  impossible  to  investi- 
gate plants,  in  their  native  situations,  without  having  our  attention  perpetually 
awakened  by  the  inlinite  variety  of  those  active  little  beings,  employed  in  a  thous- 
and different  ways,  in  supplying  themselves  with  food  and  lodging,  in  repulsing 
the  attacks  of  their  enemies,  or  in  exercising  a  more  than  asiatic  despotism  over 
myriads  below  them  ;  and  he  exultingly  exclaims  that,  in  England,  no  branch  of 
natural  history,  after  botany,  has,  for  some  years,  had  more  attention  paid  to  it 
than  entomology  :  while  with  us,  to  adopt  the  language  of  dr.  Barton,  "  notwith- 
standing the  importance  of  the  science  of  entomology,  the  history  of  oar  insects 
has  hitherto  excited  but  little  attention." 


IN'OTE  35. 

Mr.  Green,  in  his  discourse  on  the  botany  of  the  United  States,  pronounces, 
that  the  florin  grass  is  a  native  of  this  country  ;  that  it  has  been  discovered  in 
Sussex  county,  New-Jersey,  onthfe  margin  of  the  Genessee  river,  and  on  an  island 
below  the  city  of  Albany.  Whether  this  be  the  same  as  the  florin-  grass  of  Eu- 
rope is  still  a  question  subjudice.  In  1740  Kalm  visited  the  island  below  Alba- 
ny, and  in  his  journal  he  has  mentioned  several  of  its  vegetable  productions  :  the 
agrostis  stolonifera,  if  growing  there  at  that  time,  escaped  his  penetrating  eye  ; 
but,  whether  indigenous  or  not,  we  k;iow  that  it  has  been  imported  and  success- 
fully cultivated  ;  that  its  alimentary  qualities,  and  its  cr^ps,  are  great  beyond 
example,  and  that  it  flourishes  in  defiance  of  soil,  drought,  and  climate. 

I  do  not  know  that  saintfoin,  or  sainfoin,  (hedysarum  onobn  chis,}  which  sig- 
nifies wholesome  hay.  lias  succeeded  as  well  in  tins  country  as  in  France,  from 
whence  it  is  derived.  The  milk  of  cows  fed  on  it  is  nearly  double,  and  makes 
most  excr-' lent  cren:n  and  butirr  It  fatten?  sheen  better  than  any  othor  food, 


134  JVOTE8   AND 

and  horses  require  no  oats,  although  hard  worked,  when  they  are  fed  with  it. 
Its  increase  of  produce  exceeds  that  of  common'grass  land  about  thirty  times,  and 
>t  will  last  from  ten  to  fifteen  years.  It  yields  an  aftermath,  or  second  crop. 

Curtis,  in  hib  Practical  Observations  on  British  Grasses,  speaks  slightingly  of 
the  festuca  ovina,  and  says  that  it  appears  to  him  applicable  only  to  the  purpose 
of  making  a  fine-leaved  grass  plot,  that  shall  require  little  or  no  mowing.  On 
the  other  hand, -Withering,  in  his  botanical  arrangement  of  all  the  vegetables  na- 
turally growing  in  Great  Britain,  intimates  that  the  superiority  of  the  Spanish 
and  english  wool  is  owing  to  the  abundance  of  this  grass  in  the  hilly  pastures 
where  the  sheep  are  kept. 

Curtis  has  enumerated  twenty-five  genera,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-three 
species  of  grasses  growing  in  Great  Britain,  and  has  judiciously  remarked,  that  to 
constitute  the  herbage  of  a  good  meadow  there  must  be  a  combination  of  pro- 
duce, bateablenesa,  and  early  growth.  Saleable  is  altogether  an  agricultural  or 
provincial  term,  and  he  uses  it  to  express  cattle's  thriving  on  the  food  they  eat. 

The  best  grasses  of  Europe  have  been  neglected,  and  our  indigenous  ones  have 
been,  in  a  great  measure,  overlooked  by  us.  Let  our  scientific  men,  our  practi- 
cal men,  turn  their  attention  to  this  and  other  important  branches  of  husbandry, 
as  yet  scarcely  noticed,  and  affording  inexhaustible  topics  for  investigation,  and 
let  them  be  encouraged  in  their  labours  by  the  observation  of  Bacon,  that "  Vir- 
gil got  as  much  glory  of  eloquence,  wit,  and  learning,  in  the  expressing  of  the  oh 
Starvations  of  husbandry,  as  of  the  heroical  acts  of  JSneas." 


NOTE  36. 

This  grass  produces  a  fine  perfume,  and  has  the  same  effect  on  tobacco  as  the 
vanilk  beau.  It  delights  in  a  rich  soil,  and  may  be  easily  cultivated.  It  is 
greatly  superior,  in  its  odoriferous  qualities,  to  the  anthoxantum  odoratum,  or 
sweet  scented  vernal  grass,  the  only  one  of  that  kind  which  grows  in  England. 
Cattle  are  very  fond  of  it,  and  it  must  produce  the  most  delicious  milk,  butter, 
and  butchers'  meat.  There  is,  however,  great  danger  of  its  total  extirpation,  as 
it  is  very  scarce.  Indeed,  the  same  danger  is  to  be  apprehended,  and  the  same 
fatality  lias,  no  doubt,  occurred  in  other  instances.  Hudson,  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, se'nt  a  boat  to  sound  the  Kills  between  Bergen  and  Staten  Island,  and 
his  men  on  their  return  reported,  that  the  "  lands  were  as  pleasant  with  grass  and 
dowers,  and  goodly  trees,  as  ever  they  had  seen,  and  very  sweet  smells  came  from 
1  This  is  not  now  the  case.  The  grazing  of  cattle,  the  rooting  of  swioe, 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  135 

the  plough,  and  other  implements  of  agriculture,  have  entirely  destroyed  a  great 
number  of  the  annual  grasses  and  plants  which  formerly  flourished  in  this  coun 
try.  Several  persons  told  Kalm,  so  far  back  as  1748,  that  the  loss  of  many  odo- 
riferous plants,  with  which  the  woods  were  filled  at  the  arrival  of  the  europeans, 
but  which  the  cattle  have  now  extirpated,  might  be  looked  upon  as  a  cause  of  the 
greater  progress  of  the  fever  ;  for  that  the  great  number  of  those  strong  plant? 
occasioned  a  pleasant  scent  to  rise,  in  the  woods  every  morning,  and  evening. 
The  vegetable  kingdom  of  our  western  country  is  uncommonly  rich,  and  luxuri- 
antly abundant,  because  cultivation  has  been  but  partially  extended  to  it.  Hogs 
have  produced  great  destruction  among  all  tuberose  and  bulbous  plants.  Even 
the  laurel  tree  of  Carolina  has  become  almost  extinct  in  many  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, owing  to  the  depredations  of  domesticated  animals.  • 

Although  some  plants,  like  some  animals,  are  no  longer  seen  in  our  country, 
yet  the  field  of  botanical  inTestigation  is  immeasurable  and  boundless.  Our 
country  embraces  every  variety  of  soil  and  climate,  mountains,  rivers,  lake?, 
and  salt  waters,  and  is  the  favourite  depository  of  the  vegetable  riches  of  the 
earth.  In  the  United  States,  we  are  yet  in  the  infancy  of  this  science. 

The  first  edition  of  Linnseus's  Species  Plantarum  contains  only  7,300  species. 
A  curious  amateur  of  botany  took  the  pains  to  enumerate  the  plants  described 
in  dr.  Turton's  translation  of  Gmelin's  edition  of  the  Systema  Naturae,  and  in  a 
work  of  Willdenow,  and  found  2,046  genera,  and  19,803  species  of  plants,  of 
which  638  genera  have  but  one  species  j  263  but  two  ;  174  but  three ;  and  124 
but  four.  And  it  is  supposed,  that  the  whole  number  of  described  plants  amount? 
to  about  22,000. 

Mr.  Jacob  Green  has  annexed  to  his  well-written  and  interesting  Address  ou 
the  Botany  of  the  United  States,  (delivered  before  the  Society  for  the  promo- 
tion of  Useful  A-.  ts,)  a  Catalogue  of  plants,  indigenous  to  the  state  of  New- 
York.  This  list,  which  mr.  Green  admits  to  be  incomplete,  contains  about  403 
genera,  and  1,283  species. 

The  catalogue  of  the  hitherto  known  native*  and  naturalized  plants  of  North 
America,  made  by  that  indefatigable  and  learned  botanist  dr.  Muhlenberg,  con- 
tains but  863  genera,  and  not  2,800  species.  It  is  not  unreasonable  to  estimate 
the  whole  number  of  plants  in  the  United  Stairs,  and  their  territories,  at  8,W# 
and  as  yet  we  have  not  described  3,000 .  What  an  opening  does  this  afford  for 
the  operations  of  scientific  inquiry  ?  no  wonder  that  Linnaeus  was  so  anxiwre  to 
visit  this  country.  Catesby,  in  his  Hortus  Europaj  Americanus,  published  in 
1767,  truly  observes,  that  a  small  spot  of  land  in  America  has,  within  less  than 
half  a  century,  furnished  England  with  a  greater  variety  of  trees,  than  has 
been  procured  from  all  fhe  other  parts  of  the  world,  for  more  than  a  thousand 


136  .VOTES    AND 

From  information  which  has  recently  reached  me,  I  am  persuaded,  that  our 
dutch  ancestors  paid  more  attention  to  the  improvement  and  natural  history  of 
the  country,  than  has  been  generally  imagined.  We  are,  as  yet,  greatly  in  the 
dark  with  respect  to  events  and  observations  during  their  occupancy  of  New 
Netherland,  as  they  termed  their  country ;  but  the  means  of  information  are 
amply  within  our  reach.  Dn  Loart  wrote  a  book  respecting  it,  wherein  he 
gives  a  very  particular  account  of  the  indians  ;  and  Megapolensis,  an  eminent 
dutch  minister,  who  formerly  lived  in  this  city,  also  published  a  work  on  this 
country  when  a  dutch  province;  and  I  have  now  before  me  a  manuscript  trans 
lation  made  by  the  rev.  dr.  Bassett,  of  dr.  Van  der  Donk's  History  of  New  • 
Ncthrrland,  published  in  1653.  It  is  very  interesting,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
that  that^worthy  gentleman  will  meet  with  sufficient  encouragement  to  publish 
it,  and  also  correct  translation  of  De  Laert  and  Megapolensis,  for  which  nc- 
man  in  this  country  is  better  qualified.  Van  der  Donk  states,  that  a  certain 
surgeon,  a  resident  of  New  Netherland,  had  formed  an  extensive  botanical 
garden,  in  which  he  planted  many  medical  roots,  which  he  cultivated  from  tlu: 
woods  adjacent  to  his  abode;  but  by  the  removal  of  that  worthy  gentleman 
from  the  country,  his  humane  and  patriotic  exertions  were  lost  to  the  world. 
This,  I  undertake  to  say,  was  the  first  botanical  garden  established  in  this  pan 
of  America.  It  appear?,  also,  from  this  work,  that  most  of  the  medicinal  and 
other  herbs,  with  which  the  country  abounds,  were  known  to  our  dutch  forefath 
rrs  ;  that  they  took  uncommon  pains  to  introduce  the  best  cereal  grainina,  legu- 
mens,  and  excellent  vegetables,  and  fruit  of  various  kinds,  and  have  even  culti 
vated  canary  seed  ;  that  they  introduced  the  white  and  red,  the  cornelian  ami 
stock  roses,  wall  flowers,  tulips,  imperial  flowers,  the  white  lily,  and  lily  of  the 
valley,  ladies' rose,  violet,  and  gold  flower,  and  that  the  country  abounded 
with  flowers  peculiar  to  it,  of  the  most  beautiful  kind,  to  whi."h  the  european 
\TCS  an  entire  stranger  ;  viz.  the  sunflower,  the  red  and  yellow  lily,  the  morning 
glory,  the  white,  yellow,  and  red  marygold,  a  species  of  wild  eglantine,  the 
different  kinds  of  the  bell  flower,  and  many  others. 

Our  dutch  ancestors  also  turned  their  attention  to  improving  the  dyes  of  the 
r.omitry:  great  hopes  were  entertained  from  the  wild  indigo ;  and  they  not  only 
supposed  that  the  common  indigo  mi L;ht  be  raised  to  great  advantage,  but  they 
actually  tried  the  experiment.  Seed  was  imported  from  Holland.  The  firs: 
attempt  failed,  owing,  as  it  was  supposed,  to  an  extraordinary  drought  which 
prevented  the  plant  from  coming  to  -maturity  :  but  -another  experiment  complete- 
ly succeeded  •  the  seed  wan  sown  near  New  Amsterdam,  (New-York,)  and  a 
great  crop  was  obtained  ;  specimens  were  sent  to  the  mother  country,  where 
good  judges  pronounced  it  of  a  superior  quality.  But  what  is  still  more  extraor- 
dinary is,  tharthere  is  reasort  to  !v!love  'hat  it  was  rontomv'bVil  1°  in'mdiKv- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  135 

the  famous  orchilla  weed.  When  the  Spaniards  discovered  the  Canary  Islands, 
they  sought  for  it  as  eagerly  as  they  did  forxgold  :  it  was  probable,  that  it  was 
made  use  of  to  produce  the  gertulian  purple  of  the  ancients ;  and  they  also  had,in 
their  view  other  vegetable  dyes,  which  we  cannot  now  accurately  designate.  "The 
crap  plant,"  says  Van  der  Donk,  "  for  dying  red,  is  not  cultivated  in  New  Neth: 
erland,  but  it  is  not  to  be  questioned,  thit  if  it  were  tried  it  would  yield  well." 
I  must  repeat  my  wish,  that  this  curious  work  may  soon  see  the  light.  It  ap- 
pears from  it,  that  the  country  was  so  remarkably  healthy  at  that  time,  that  it 
was  a  strange  thing  to  hear  of  a  person  being  sick  ;  that  the  east  wind  did  not 
extend  far  west ;  and  that  the  climate  was  as  -mild  at  that  period  as  it  now  is 


NOTE   37. 

See  Busching's  Geography,  vol.  1.  Temple's  Works,  vol.  3.  Walpoliana. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  several  species  of  some  of  these  trees  existed  in 
a  wild  state  at  home,  previous  to  their  introduction  from  foreign  countries.  It 
33  presumable,  for  instance,  that  the  chesnut  always  grew  in  Italy,  and  the  cher- 
ry in  France  ;  but  different  kinds,  on  account  of  their  superior  excellence  ari- 
sing from  cultivation,  were  imported  by  the  ancient  romans.  Wherever  their 
arms  extended,  they  availed  themselves  of  the  choice  fruits  of  the  conquered 
countries,  and  the  great  generals  who  brought  them  to  Rome  took  pride  in  giving 
them  their  own  names,  as  in  memory  of  some  great  service  or  pleasure  they  had 
doue  their  country  j  so  that  not  only  laws  and  battles,  but  several  sorts  of  apples 
or  mala,  and  of  pears,  were  called  Manlian,  and  Claudian,  Pompeian,  aud  Ti- 
berian,  and  by  several  other  such  noble  names.  Thus,  in  process  of  time, 
the  inhabitants  of  Italy,  who  formerly  lived  on  acorns,  made  the  whole  world 
tributary  to  their  subsistence,  as  well  as  to  their  glory.  Humboldt,  in  his  Ac- 
count of  New  Spain,  (vol.  2.)  says,  that  the  prunus  avium  is  indigenous  in  Germa- 
ny and  France,  and  has  existed  from  the  most  remote  antiquity  in  their  forests, 
Hke  the  robur  arid  the  linden  tree  j  while  other  species  of  cherry-trees,  which 
are  considered  as  varieties,  become  permanent,  and  of  which  the  fruits  are  more 
savoury  than  the  prunus  avium  have  come  to  those  countries  through  the  romasa 
from  Asia  Minor,  and  particularly  from  the  kingdom  of  Pontus. 

Turnips  and  carrots  are  considered  indigenous  roots  of  France ;  our  cauliflow- 
ers came  from  Cyprus  ;  our  artichokes  from  Sicily,';  lettuce  from  Cos ;  and  shal- 

?ots.  or  pschallot*,  from  Ascalon,    The  art  of  gardeoine  was  introduced  into  Eng- 

S 


NOTES  AND 


land  from  the  continent  about  1509,  prior  to  which  most  of  the  preseat  produce 
of  k  itchen  gardens  was  imported  from  the  Netherlands. 


NOTE  38. 

The  comparative  mortality  of  London  has  not  only  greatly  diminished  withic 
the  last  fifty  or  sixty  years,  but  a  number  of  diseases  which,  previous  to  that  pe- 
riod, were  very  destructive,  have  almost  entirely  disappeared  ;  for  instance,  the 
plague,  the  rickets,  and  the  scurvy  :  while  others  that  were  formerly  considered 
very  mortal,  are  now  viewed  as  no  longer  formidable  ;  such  as  the  small  poxt 
the  dysentery  and  intermittent  fevers. 

Other  diseases,  supposed  to  be  less  dependent  on  the  physical  than  on  the 
moral  and  political  changes  which  Great  Britain  has  undergone,  have  increased  in 
number  and  fatality  ;  and  are  attributed,  chiefly,  to  the  increase  of  manufactures ; 
and,  consequently,  of  the  number  of  sedentary  and  otherwise  unwholesome  oc- 
cupations :  to  the  augmentation  of  the  national  wealth,  and  with  it,  of  luxury 
and  high  feeding  ;  and  to  the  fluctuations  in  the  conditions  of  life,  attendant  on 
the  spirit  of  commercial  speculation.  To  the  first  of  these  sources  is  ascribed,  in 
part,  the  regular  increase  of  the  consumption,  during  the  last  century  ;  to  the 
second,  the  more  inconsiderable,  but  scarcely  less  regular,  increase  of  apoplexy, 
palsy,  gout,  and  sudden  deaths ;  and  to  the  last,  the  more  frequent  occurrence  of 
insanity  in  its  different  forms  :  and  the  increase  of  intemperance  and  vice,  in  a 
large  and  populous  city,  doubtless  contributes  much  to  the  augmentation  of  all 
these  diseases. 

Dr.  Heberden  states  the  proportion  of  these  three  classes?  of  disease,  at  the  be- 
ginning, middle,  and  end,  of  the  eighteenth  ceutur}',  to  have  been  as  follows  • 


Beginning. 

Middle. 

End. 

Consnmptiott, 

3,000 

4,000 

5,000 

Palsy,  apoplexy,  etc. 

157 

280 

300 

Lunatic, 

-27 

75 

70 

If  we  compare  the  mortality  from  consumption,  at  those  three  periods,  with  the 
total  mortality,  we  find,  that  in  1669  the  deaths,  from  consumption,  were,  to  the 
rvhole,  as, 


ILLUSTRATION*. 

1         to  about 

6 

Q 

1 

5 

5 

1 

3 

8 

1 

3 

6 

13* 


in  17J9, 
1799, 
1808, 


The  reports  of  consumption,  in  other  parts  of  Great  Britain,  correspond,  in  a 
great  degree,  with  the  accounts  of  its  prevalence  in  London,  and,  therefore,  ren. 
der  this  ascription  of  its  causes  and  origin  unsatisfactory. 

Dr.  Lettsom,  however,  in  a  letter  to  dr.  Hosack,  on  the  diseases  of  London, 
(Amer.  Med.  and  Phil.  Reg.  vol.  2)  says,  "  Whilst  the  phthisis  pulmonalis  is 
rapidly  increasing  in  America,  and  in  the  european  continent,  it  is  diminishing 
here.  The  croup  is  less  fatal,  in  consequence  of  the  immediate  and  free  use  of 
the  lancet,  and  of  leeches,  with  purgatives,  than  heretofore ;  nor  is  angina 
scarlatina  either  so  frequent  or  so  fatal.  The  typhus  is  almost  extinct,  and  the 
cholera  morbus  is  anfrequent ;  and,  as  far  as  my  experience  extends,  the  syphilis 
is  milder,  or  easier  cured  ;  and,  lately,  such  has  been  the  prolongation  of  health 
and  life  as  to  lessen  the  premiums  of  insurance  considerably." 

Out  of  19,954  deaths,  in  London,  in  1808,  5,220  are  ascribed  to  the  consump- 
tion. The  christenings,  in  that  year  were  19,906,  nearly  equal  to  the  burials. 

In  1809,  the  healthiest  year  which  London  ever  enjoyed,  there  were  16,680 
deaths,  4,570  of  which  were  produced  by  the  consumption ;  the  number  of 
Christenings  was  19,612,  making  the  excess  of  births  above  the  deaths  nearly 
',000.  (See  the  London  Annual  Medical  Review  and  Register,  for  1808  and 
1809.) 

Dr.  James  E.  Smith  says,  tliat  "  In  Italy,  consumptions  are  found  to  be  very 
Contagious,  though  less  evidently  so  in  England.1'  It  is  intimated,  if  my  memo- 
ry serves  me,  in  that  excellent  work,  the  Emporium,  that  the  general  use  of  cot- 
ton shirts,  etc.  may  have  a  pernicious  influence  iu  producing  this  disease.  Its 
increased  fatality  in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  America,  is,  probably,  owing  to  a 
complication  of  causes ;  and,  indeed,  the  periodical  prevalence  and  disappear- 
ance of  certain  diseases,  must  be  classed  among  those  arcana  whick  providence 
has  concealpd  from  man. 

Salubrious  as  the  climate  of  Madeira  is  generally  reckoned,  we  find,  that  even 
there  pulmonary  diseases  cut  off  a  great  number  of  the  inhabitants.  Of  the  va- 
rious districts  of  North  America,  New-York  has  been  considered,  by  many,  as 
being  especially  favoured  with  regard  to  the  mildness  of  its  seasons  ;  and  the 
changes  of  its  weather  were  referred  chiefly  to  the  difference  in  the  prevailing 
winds.  Among  a  series  of  interesting  remarks  on  the  climate  and  diseases  of 
New- York,  made  by  lieutenant-governor  Colden,  about  seventy  years  ago,  and 
inserted  in  the  American  Medical  and  Philosophical  Register,  vol.  1.  this 


14t)  A'OTKS  AND 

cal  philosopher  observes,  "  The  air  of  the  country  being  almost  always  clear, 
and  its  spring  strong,  we  have  few  consumptions,  or  diseases  of  the  lungs. 'T 
"  People  inclined  to  be  consumptive  in  England,  are  often  perfectly  cured  by 
our  fine  air ;  but  if  there  be  ulcers  formed  they  die.  The  climate  grows  every 
day  better,  as  the  country  is  cleared  of  the  woods;  and  more  healthy,  as  all  the 
people  that  have  lived  long  here  testify.  This  has  even  been  sensible  to  me, 
though  I  have  been  but  about  twelve  years  in  this  country  ;  /;  therefore,  doubt 
not  but  it  tvill,  in  time,  become  one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  healthy  climates  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  As  it  is  at  present,  I  prefer  it  to  the  climates  of  England, 
and,  I  believe,  most  people  that  have  lived  any  considerable  time  here,  and  have 
returned  to  England,  will  confirm  this." 

If  the  climate  of  New-York  was  formerly  thus  mild  and  healthy,  and  a  con- 
stant amelioration  in  its  temperature  is  consequent  upon  our  numerous  settle- 
ments and  improvements,  as  has  been  maintained  by  many  distinguished  writers, 
to  what  shall  we  ascribe  the  extraordinary  mortality  occasioned  by  pulmonary 
consumption  at  the  present  day  ?  none  will  deny  this  disorder  to  be  influenced 
by  climate,  and  independent  of  effects  arising  from  particular  employments,  and 
modes  of  living;  but  we  will,  perhaps,  find  the  most  satisfactory  answer  to  this 
question,  in  considering  phthisis  in  its  various  forms  as  the  offspring  rather  of 
increased  dissipation,  of  great  imprudence  in  dress,  and  of  consequent  exposure 
to  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  than  of  any  peculiarity  in  our  climate  and 
seasons. 

This  opinion  of  the  origin  of  this  disease  is  further  confirmed,  upon  reflecting 
Upon  its  nature.  Consumption  is  reckoned,  by  a  practical  observer,  dr.  Hosack, 
who  has  devoted  a  large  share  of  attention  to  this  subject,  (Quarterly  Reports 
on  the  Diseases  of  New-York,}  as  being  in  a  great  majority  of  instances  in  its 
primary  or  forming  stage,  an  inflammatory  complaint,  the  effects  of  cold  ;  and 
as  yielding  to  the  treatment  indicated  for  the  removal  of  inflammation,  when 
affecting  other  parts  of  the  chest. 

We  have,  in  many  instances,  employed  blood-letting  with  the  most  happy  ef- 
fects, in  many  cases  of  incipient  phtfiisis,  even  where  strong  hereditary  predis- 
position existed.  Indeed,  we  are  induced,  from  some  late  observations  on  this 
subject,  to  express  the  opinion,  that  in  the  commencement  of  phthisis,  as  in  perip- 
neumony,  blood-letting  is  not  sufficiently  employed,  but  is  two  frequently  neg- 
lected until  the  inflammation  has  so  far  extended  that  suppuration  becomes  inev- 
itable. Nor  do  physicians,  in  general,  appear  tp  have  been  sufficiently  atten- 
tive in  describing  the  symptoms  characteristic  of  the  first  or  inflammatory  stage 
of  phthisis,  and,  consequently,  have  been  regardless  of  that  active  antiphlogistic 
treatment  which  alone  can  prevent  the  tuberculous  or  suppurative  stage.  Inas- 
much as  suppuration,  or  a  purulent  secretion  from  the  lungs  necessarily  implies 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  141 

preceding  inflammation,  we  conceive  too  early  attention  cannot  be  given  to  the 
premonitory  symptoms  which  announce  the  inflammatory  stage,  but  which  are 
frequently  so  inconsiderable,  being  seated  in  the  less  sensible,  the  cellular  por- 
tion of  the  lungs,  that  both  physician  and  patient  are  alike  regardless  of  the 
present  symptoms,  and  of  the  consequences  to  which  they  lead.  Instead,  there- 
fore, of  trusting  to  sirups,  anodynes,  pectorals,  or  ptisans,  to  ajjay  the  occasional 
dry  hacking  cough  and  pains  of  the  chest,  which  indicate  the  first  approach  of 
the  disease,  we  earnestly  recommend  the  same  active  treatment  by  blood- letting, 
blisters,  and  other  means  of  diminishing  excitement,  as  are  employed  in  the 
treatment  of  a  pleurisy,  or  any  other  acute  inflammation ;  and  we  could  add,  in 
confirmation  of  our  view  of  this  subject,  many  recent  cases,  in  which  the  practice 
here  recommended  has  been  attended  with  the  most  happy  results.1 
Mfdical  and  Philosophical  Register,  vol.  2. 


NOTE  39. 

Contagion  and  infection  are  subjects  which  have  been  fertile  of  discussion  anc 
controversy.  Their  peculiar  character,  and  the  agency  which  they  exert  ic 
giving  origin  to,  and  modifying  the  form  of,  diseases,  seem  to  have  attracted,  at 
a  very  early  period,  a  large  share  of  attention.  Among  the  ancient  physician* 
we  find  Galen,  in  express  terms,  stating  the  manner  in  which  plague  is  commu  , 
nicated  ;  et  quidem  quod  aeris  pestilens  febrem  afFerre  consuevit,  nemo  sanse  men- 
tis dubitavit,  sicuti  et  pestilenti  morbo  laborantium  conversatio  periculosa,  ne 
inde  contagium  contrahatur,  quemadmociuir.  ex  scapie  et  lippitudiue.  (Galen, 
de  Differ.  Febr.)  Livy,  the  historian,  appears  to  have  been  duly  sensible  of 
the  power  of  contagion  ;  et  primo  teraporis  ac  loci  vitio,  et  aegri  erant,  et  mo- 
riebantur :  postea  ruratio  ipsa  et  contactus  cegrorum  vulgabat  morbos ;  and  in 
describing  a  pestilential  disorder  which  prevailed  in  the  early  part  of  the  fourth 
century,  A.  U.  C.,  he  again  remarks,  vulgatique  contactu  in  homines  morbi. 
(Lib.  iv.  cap.  xxx.)  Soon  after  the  restoration  of  learning,  when  the  stock  of 
knowledge  preserved  by  the  arabians  was  increased  by  new  facts  and  discoveries 
and  medical  science  was  augmented  by  the  laborious  investigations  of  that  pro- 
lific age,  we  find  Diemerbroeck  and  others  devoting  especial  attention  to  this 
subject.  Though  a  difference  of  opinion  existed,  it  is  manifest  that  a  large  ma- 
jority of  physicians  n»aintaine3  the  general  doctrines  of  contagion. 

At  a  more  recent  period  the  great  mortality  which  accompanied  the  different 
attempts  at  colonization  in  the  Wr«t-Tndia  i«lnnd«.  and  on  the  coast  of  Africa 


failed1  the  ntiack  of  medical  observers  to  the  peculiar  nature  of  intra-tropjca? 
diseases.  The  appearance  of  the  yellow  fever  at  Boulam,  in  1793;  its  geoera!- 
prevalence  in  most  of  the  West  India  islands  ;  and  subsequently,  its  more  exten- 
sive diffusion  iu  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  have  been  the  means  of 
enlarging  the  original  limits  of  the  cent!  overs;*,  and  have  given  to  the  discussion 
an  interest  inferior  to  none  among  medical  inquiries.  Pre-eminent  among  the* 
etiropear*  authors  who  have  entered  upon  this  discussion,  may  be  considered  the 
celebrated  dr.  Chisholm  and  dr.  Haygavth,  whose  respective  writings  on  the 
sualrgnant  yellow  fever  are  monuments  of  the  learning  and  talents  of  their  au- 
thors, and  may  be  pronounced  the  most  able  and  satisfactory  works  in  support 
of  the  doctrines  which  they  have  espoused  ;  as  the  writings  of  our  late  distin- 
guished countrymen,  doctors  Rush,  and  Miller,  may  be  referred  to  as  containing 
the  best  summary  of  the  theories  which  these  authors  have  embraced. 

Although  the  specific  nature  of  the  matter  by  which  certain  diseases  are  pro- 
pagated is  still  imperfectly  understood,  yet  it  were  idle  to  deny  the  existence 
of  contagion  ;  and  it.  is  certain  we  have  recently  ascertained,  in  no  inconsidera- 
ble degree,  the  laws  by  which  it  is  governed.  "  In  the  present  state  of  medical 
knowledge,"  says  the  Edinburgh  Review,  "•  it  would  not,  we  conceive,  be  at  ;:1! 
more  absurd  to  deny  the  existence  of  fever  altogether,  than  to  maintain  that  it 
is  not  propagated  by  contagion."  Rwiciv  of  Dr.  Haygarlk's  Letter  to  Dr, 


An  attnnipt  was  nrade  by  the  late  dr.  Richard  Bayley^of  New-  York,  to 
^stablLh  a  distinction  between  •  contttgion  and  infection,  and  to  discriminate  iiie 
disfjrtses  arising  from  these  tn-o  different  sources.  (Treatise  on  the  Yfllnw  Fever 
^]f  Nero  York,  1795.)  This  distinction  has  been  adopted  by  some  eurouean  phy- 
sicians, and,  among  other?,  by  dr.  Joseph  Adams,  but  without  the  due  acknow- 
ledgment. 

About  the  year  1797,  dr.  Mitchill  promulgated  his  ingenious  doctrines  on  the 
pestilential  fluids;  and  in  1801,  dr.  Edward  Miller  made  public  his  Attempt  to 
Deduce  a  Nomenclature  of  certain  Febrile  and  Pestilential  Diseases  from  the 
origin-  and  nature  of  their  remote  cause.  Medical  Repository,  vol.  1  and  7. 

In  July,  1C03,  ;i  new  theory  on  the  laws  governing  the  communication  of  con- 
t:;>.gious  and  infectious  disease?,  was  published  by  dr.  Hosack,  in  a  letter  address- 
ed to  d'r.  Colin  Chisholm.  (Vide  Edin.  Mtd.  and  Surg.  Journal,  vol.  5.)  Dr. 
}'Tosack  admits  the  distinction  proposed  by  dr.  Bayley  to  approach  nearer  the 
truth  than  any  other  that  had  hitherto  bf;ui  offered,  but  he  does  not  consider  it 

as  presenting  a  view  of  the  whole  truth.     Those  diseases  winch  are  communica- 

• 
rtlJe  from  one  person  to  another,  and  are  gci.erally  considered  of  a  contagious  01* 

infectious  nature,  are  distributed  by  dr.  IT.  into  three  classes.     First,  such  as 
i'-e  communicated  exclusively  by  contact  ;  as  itch,  siphylis,  sibbens,  laanda  o* 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  143 

Africa,  frambaesia,  elephantiasis,  variola  vacc'ma,  and  hydrophobia :  secondly, 
such  as  are  communicable  by  contact  and  the  atnwsphtre  ;  as  small  pox,  aaeaslf •?, 
chicken  pox,  hooping  cough,  scarlatina,  and  cynanche  maligna :  thirdly,  those 
diseases  generally  communicable  only  in  an  impure  air  ;  as  plague,  yellow  fever, 
typhus,  in  its  various  forms,  and  dysentery. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  the  introductory  part  of  dr.  Kosack's  let 
ter: 

"  The  visiter  or  attendant  contracts  disease  from  one  of  in-o  sonrus,  either  fror. 
the  filth  of  the  sick  room,  or  from  a  specific  something  issuing  from  the  body  of  tlu- 
sick,  the  consequence  of  the  peculiar  disease  under  which  he  labours.     If  a  pf 
son  visiting  another  ill  of  the  yellow  fever,  or  plague,  derives  his  disease  from 
the  impure  atmosphere,  of  the  apartment,  I  ask,  how  it  happens,  that  in  all  in- 
stances he  contracts  the  same  disease  with  that  of  the  person  whom  he  visits  . 
why  is  his  disorder  not  an  intermittent,  a.  remittent,  jail  fe^er,  or  dystnttrt, 
which  are  considered  the  usual  produce  of  filth  ?    if  he  derives  any  thing  *pe 
cific  from  the  sick,  his  disease  is  then  assuredly  not  to  be  considered  as  occa- 
sioned by  the  atmosphere,  but  depending  on  the  peculiar  condition  (>f  thejluidt, 
or  state  of  the  system,  induced  by  the  action  of  a  specific  poison,  in  other  word^ 
it  is  to  be  considered  a  tontagivus  disease.     The  distinction  proposed  by  di 
Bayley,  inasmuch  as  it  does  not  account  for  the  communication  of  the  peculiar 
form  of  fever  or  disease  which  is  thus  propagated,  I  therefore  consider  to  be  insu: 
ficient  to  account  for  the  circumstances  attending  the  communication  of  thcst- 
diseases  to  which  it  is  applied.     That  I  may  not  be  misunderstood,  I  will  sup- 
pose A  to  be  ill  of  dysentery,  a  disease  well  known  to  be  attended  with  a  yectt - 
liar  train  of  symptoms;  he  is  in  a  small  confined  apartment,  his  person  is  nep 
lected,  the  atmosphere  round  him  is  rendered  impure  and  offensive  ;  under  these 
circumstances  B  visits  him,  and  a  few  days  after  is  also  taken  sick  with  the 
same  disease,  attended  ia  all  respects  with  the  same  dangerous  symptoms  which 
characterize  the  disorders  of  A.     Dr.  Bayley  and  those  who  adopt  the  doctrine 
of  infection  as  opposed  to  contagion,  consider  the  disease  of  B  to  proceed  fs-om  the 
imp'uritfis  of  the  air  of  the  chamber,  and  not  from  any  thing  peculiar  emanating  or 
secreted  from  the  body  of  \.     But  as  we  mar,  nithout  hazard,  visit  an  equally 
filthy  chamber  where  C  lies  ill  of  choiera   morbus,  or  D  with  a  bruJstn  limb,  I 
therefore  ascribe  the  disease  of  B  to  something  more  than  the  impure  air  of 
the  chamber  of  A.     I  ascribe  it  to  a  peculiar  xirus  generated  in  his  system  b-y 
the  disease  under  which  he  labours,  and  communicated  by  his  excretions  to  the 
surrounding  atmosphere,  rendering  it  thus  capable  of  producing  the  same  disease 
ID  those  who  may  be  exposed  to  its  influence." 

Eu"ope  is  already  greati y  indebted  to  that  spirit  of  investigation  which  char- 
pro'essors  of  tbe  healiogartin  this  country  ;  a  ^rit  wjijrb  has  1*2 


M.4  \OTES    ASf) 

to  the  overthrow  of  many  errors,  and  to  the  discovery  of  new  physiological  aad 
pathological  principles ;  which  has  prompted  its  professors  to  exertions  that  have 
eminently  contributed  to  the  general  adoption  of  a  more  judicious  treatmertt  of 
many  disorders,  to  the  rejection  of  numerous  inert  substances  inserted  into  the 
ruateria  medica,  and  to  the  augmentation  of  the  list  of  those  of  approved  medici- 
nal virtues ;  to  a  more  liberal  use  of  vigorous  remedies  and  to  a  more  bold  and 
successful  method  of  practice. 

This  view  of  the  laws  regulating  the  communication  of  contagious  disorders 
proposed  by  dr.  Hosack,  greatly  limits  the  ground  of  controversy ;  and  I  am 
gratified  in  adding,  that  it  has  met  with  a  most  favourable  reception  witli  the 
physicians  of  Europe,  and  has  reflected  great  honor  on  the  state  of  medical 
learning  in  this  country.  (See  the  London  Ann.  Med.  Review,  for  1809  :  the 
Edin.  Med.  andSurg.  Journal.}  For  more  able  details  on  the  subjects  of  con- 
tagion and  infection,  and  for  the  histories  of  various  epidemics  which  have  pre- 
vailed in  the  United  States,  the  reader  will  consult  that  valuable  periodical 
journal,  the  Medical  Repository,  edited  by  drs.  Mitchill,  Smith,  and  Miller  j 
the  Philadelphia  Medical  Museum,  by  dr.  Coxe  ;  the  American  Medical  and 
Philosophical  Register,  conducted  by  drs.  Hosack  and  Francis  ;  and  the  Ma*- 
sachusetts  Medical  Communication?. 


The  following  note  refers  to  the  account  of  Bacon  and  Coke,  in  the  Itith  page, 
and  was  accidentally  omitted. 

Having  frequently  referred  to  Francis  Bacon,  (lord  Verulam,  and  viscount  at. 
Albans,)  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention  ais  melancholy  fall.  Pope  says, 

"  If  parts  allure  thee,  think  how  Bacon  sinned, 
The  brightest,  wisest,  meanest  of  mankind." 

Iti  March,  1620,  a  committee  of  the  house  of  commons,  appointed  to  inquire 
into  abuses  in  the  courts  of  justice,  reported  specific  charges  of  corruption  against 
him  in  the  execution  of  Ins  office  of  lord  chancellor  of  England.  His  antagonist, 
sir  Edward  Coke,  who  was  then  a  member,  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed 
to  draw  up  the  charges  against  him  j  and  he  was  finally  impeached  before  the 
house  of  lords.  He  at  first  avoided  an  investigation  on  the  plea  of  sickness  ;  but 
finally,  on  the  30th  of  April,  he  made  a  humble  and  contrite  confession,  and  ad- 
mitted that,  pendmte  lite,  he  had  received  large  sums  of  money,  and  other  dou- 
ceur?, from  suitors  in  his  court,  and  he  was  fined  forty  thousand  pounds,  bnpris- 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  145 

oned  in  the  tower  during  the  king's  pleasure,  rendered  incapable  of  holding  any 
office,  place,  or  employment,  and  of  sitting  in  parliament,  or  coming  within  the 
verge  of  the  court.  The  king  afterwards  set  him  at  liberty,  and  gave  him  a  pen- 
sion. He  lived  obscurely  in  his  chambers  at  Gray's  Inn,  where  his  lonely  and 
desolate  condition  so  wrought  upon  his  melancholy  temper,  that  he  pined  away, 
and,  after  all  his  influence,  he  was  reduced  to  so  low  an  ebb  as  to  be  denied  beer 
to  quench  his  thirst ;  for,  having  a  sickly  stomach,  and  not  liking  the  beer  of  the 
house,  he  sent  now  and  then  to  lord  Brook,  who  lived  in  the  neighbourhood,  for  a 
bottle  of  his  beer,  and  after  some  grumbling  the  butler  had  orders  to  deny  nim. 

He  died  on  the  9th  of  April,  1626,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age— a  met 
ancholy  example  of  great  powers  of  mind  connected  with  profligacy  of  heart. 

Sir  Edward  Coke  was  tainted  with  the  scholastic  learning  of  the  times,  and 
was  scurrilous  and  malignant  in  the  extreme.  As  attorney  general  he  conducted 
the  piosecution  for  high  treason  against  the  illustrious  sir  Walter  Raleigh,  iu  the 
most  barbarous  manner.  As  a  specimen  of  his  manner  I  have  made  the  follow- 
ing extracts : 

"  Here  is  mischief,  mischief  in  summo  gradu,  exorbitant  mischief.  My  speech 
shall  touch  these  three  points—  mutation,  supportation,  and  defence." 

44  There  is  treason  iu  the  heart,  in  the  head,  in  the  mouth,  in  consummation  j 
comparing  that  in  the  corde  to  the  root  of  a  tree ;  in  ore  to  the  bud  ;  in  nianu  to 
the  blossom  j  and  that  which  is  in  consummatione  to  the  fruit." 

rn  the  course  of  the  trial  several  altercations  took  place  between  him  and  the 
prisoner  ;  in  one  of  which  he  thus  addressed  Raleigh  : 

"  Thou  hast  a  Spanish  heart,  and  thyself  art  a  spider  of  hell." 

At  one  time  one  of  the  court  gently  checked  him,  on  which  he  sat  down  in  a 
great  rage,  arid  would  not  proceed  until  after  several  urgent  entreaties.  At  the 
repeating  of  some  things  Raleigh  interrupted  him  and  said  he  did  him  wrong, 
upon  which  the  following  curious  dialogue  took  place,  in  which  Raleigh  handled 
him  with  great,  but  just,  severity. 

"  Attorney.  Thou  art  the  most  vile  and  execrable  traitor  that  ever  lived. 

Raleigh.  You  speak  indiscreetly,  barbarously,  and  uncivilly. 

Attorney.  I  want  words  sufficient  to  express  thy  viperous  treason. 

Rakigh.  I  think  you  want  words  indeed  j  for  you  have  spoken  one  thing  half, 
a  dozen  times. 

Attorney.  Thou  art  an  odious  fellow  ;  thy  name  is  hateful  to  all  the  realm  ef 
England  for  thy  pride. 

Raleigh.  It  will  go  near  to  prove  a  measuring  cast  between  yoa  and  me,  mr. 
Attorney." 

Raleigh  was  condemned,  and  was  imprisoned  fourteen  years  in  the  tower, 
vuere  he  devoted  i^rrself  to  stndy  and  writing.  He  was  afterward*  liberated. 


M6  tfOTKS    AND 

and  permitted  to  look  for  a  mine  in  America,  where,  having  given  offence  to  tiie 
king  of  Spain,  he  Avas  sacrificed  to  the  resentment  of  that  government,  and  exe- 
cuted on  his  old  sentence,  in  1618.  Just  before  his  decapitation,  he  took  the 
ax  from  the  executioner,  and,  smiling,  thus  addressed  the  sheriff:  "  this  is  a 
sharp  medicine,  mr.  Sheriff,  but  it  is  a  physician  that  will  cure  all  diseases." 
State  Trials,  vol.  1. 

The  following  supplementary  note  relates  to  the  2lstpage. 

Butler's  satire  against  the  Royal  Society  commences  in  the  following  strain  .- 
"  A  learn'd  society  of  late, 
The  glory  of  a  foreign  state, 
Agreed,  upon  a  summer's  night, 
To,  search  the  moon  by 'her  own  light. 
To  take  an  inventory  of  all 
Her  real  estate  and  personal  j 
And  make  an  actual  survey 
Of  all  her  lands  and  how  they  lay." 

The  poem  then  proceeds  to  state  that  they  pointed  a  telescope  at  the  moou, 
and  saw  two  armies  engaged  in  desperate  battle  ;  and  finally  a  huge  elephant, 
which  was  supposed  to  have  taken  fright,  and  broken  loose  from  one  of  the  hos- 
tile armies  j  after  several  strange  speculations  upon  these  phenomena,  and  their 
preparing  a  memoir  on  the  spot  for  insertion  in  the  transactions  of  the  society, 
a  person  present,  who  was  not  so  deeply  infected  with  this  philosophical  mania, 
discovered  that  the  elephant  was  a  mouse  which  had  insinuated  itself  into  the  in- 
strument. This  threw  the  assembly  into  confusion,  and  finally  they  agreed  to 
"  unmount  the  tube  and  open  it,"  when  lo  !  the  hostile  armies  appeared  in  the 
shape  of 


«  prodigious  swarms 

Of  flies  and  gnats,  like  men  in  arms." 

And  the  poem  then  concludes, 

"  But  when  they  had  uoscrew'd  the  glass, 
To  find  out  where  th'  impostor  was, 
And  saw  the  mouse  that  by  mishap 
Had  made  the  telescope  a  trap, 
Amaz'd,  confounded,  and  afflicted.. 
To  be  so  openly  convicted. 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  14T 

Immediately  they  get  them  gone, 

With  this  discovery  alone, 

That  those  who  greedily  pursue 

Things  wonderful,  instead  of  true, 

That  in  their  speculations  choose 

To  make  discoveries  strange  news, 

And  nat'ral  history  a  gazette 

Of  tales  stupendous  and  far  fet  j 

Hold  no  truth  worthy  to  be  known, 

That  is  not  huge  and  overgrown, 

And  explicate  appearances, 

Not  as  they  are,  but  as  they  please, 

In  vain  strive  nature  to  suborn, 

And,  for  their  pains,  are  paid  with  scdrn." 

The  famous  Cow  ley,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  members,  addressed  a  com 
plimentary  poem  to  the  Royal  Society,  in  the  form  of  a  pindaric  ode,  which 
Sprat  has  prefixed  to  his  history,  and  which  appears  to  have  mitigated  his  suf- 
ferings under  the  attacks  of  the  hostile  wits.     Cowley,  appears  to  have  had  the 
satire  of  Butler  in  his  eye  when  he  wrote  the  following  lines  . 

4t  Mischief  and  true  dishonour  fall  on  those 

Who  would  to  laughter  or  to  scorn  expose 

So  virtuous  and  so  noble  a  design, 

So  human  for  its  use,  for  knowledge  so  divine. 

The  things  which  these  proud  men  despise,  and  call 

Impertinent,  and  vain,  and  small ; 

Those  smallest  things  of  nature  let  me  know, 

Rather  than  all  their  greatest  actions  do. 

Whoever  would  deposed  truth  advance 

Into  the  throne  usurped  from  it, 

Must  feel  at  first  the  blows  of  ignorance, 

And  the  sharp  points  of  envious  wit. 

So  when  by  various  turns  of  the  cetestial  dance, 

In  many  thousand  years 

A  star,  so  long  unknown,  appears, 

Though  heaven  itself  more  beauteous  by  it  grow, 

It  troubles  and  alarms  the  world  below, 

Does  to  the  wise  a  star,  to  fools  a  meteor,  show." 


]4S  NOTES   AND   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

I  hope  that  this  specimen  of  the  effusions  of  two  of  the  most  celebrated  wits  of 
the  age  may  not  be  considered  as  improper. 

Dryden  was  also  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  Royal  Society,  and  was 
finally  excused  from  paying  his  arrears  probably  on  account  of  his  straightened 
circumstances.  See  Birch. 

The  Royal  Society  certainly  afforded  some  ground  for  the  ridicule  that  was 
cast  upon  them.  Sprat  says,  "  their  manner  of  gathering  and  dispersing  ques- 
tions is  this  :  First  they  require  some  of  their  particular  fellows  to  examine  all 
treatises  and  descriptions  of  the  natural  and  artificial  productions  of  those  coun- 
tries in  which  they  would  be  informed.  At  the  same  time  they  employ  others 
to  discourse  with  the  seamen,  travellers,  tradesmen,  and  merchants,  who  are 
likely  to  give  them  the  best  light.  Out  of  this  united  intelligence  from  men  and 
books  they  compose  a  body  of  questions  concerning  the  observable  things  of  those 
places."  These  questions,  so  framed,  were  dispersed  to  their  correspondent? 
in  different  quarters.  Thus  far  the  scheme  was  judicious,  and  was  in  general 
judiciously  executed  ;  but  some  of  the  questions  were  calculated  to  create  mirth 
at  the  expense  of  the  society.  Sprat  has  published  answers  returned  by  a  gentle- 
man ofBatavia  to  certain  inquiries  sent  thither.  Two  .of  them  are  as  follows  : 

"  Whether  in  the  island  of  Sambrero,  which  lyeth  northwards  of  Sumatra, 
about  eight  degrees  northern  latitude,  there  be  found  such  a  vegetable  as  master 
James  Lancaster  relates  to  have  seen,  which  grows  up  to  a  tree,  shrinks  down 
when  one  offers  to  pluck  it  up  into  the  ground,  and  would  quite  shrink  unless 
held  very  hard  ?  and  whether  the  same  being  forcibly  plucked  up,  hath  a  worm 
for  its  root,  diminishing  more  and  more  according  as  the  tree  groweth  in  great- 
ness ;  and  as  soon  as  the  worm  ia  wholly  turned  into  the  tree,  rooting  in  the 
ground,  and  so  growing  great  ?  and  whether  the  same  plucked  up  young,  turns, 
by  that  time  it  is  dry,  into  a  hard  stone,  much  like  to  white  coral  ? 

'"  Answer.     I  cannot  meet  with  any  that  ever  have  heard  of  such  a  vegetable. 

"  What  ground  there  may  be  for  that  relation  concerning  horns  taking  root 
md  growing  about  Goa  ? 

"  Answer.  Inquiring  about  this,  a  friend  laught,  and  told  me  it  was  a  jeer 
put  upon  the  Portuguese,  because  the  women  of  Goa  are  counted  much  given  to 
lechery." 

END  OF   NOTES   AND   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


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